


Dirt And Sweat Cowboy

by saddle_tramp



Series: Let The Ponies Run [2]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Rodeo, F/M, First Meetings, M/M, Magnificent Seven AU: Rodeo, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, Rodeo Competitions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-11 04:47:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 27,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18423108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saddle_tramp/pseuds/saddle_tramp
Summary: Title from the song of the same name by Chris LeDoux, because it made this happen. I had this part stuck in my head two days before I gave up and started writing.'I reckon it's just bad fate, I was born a hundred years too late,And they say boy if you want to survive you'd better change.But as long as sagebrush grows, and that old Powder River flows,I'll be a cowboy till my dyin' day.I'm just a cowboy, a dirt and sweat cowboy,Livin' on beef steak and beans.I ain't too hard to please, but Mister you better believe,I ain't never had no use for farm machines.'





	1. Chapter 1

1

Vin closed the passenger door of the truck and then reached in the open rear window to rest his hand lightly on the top of Peso's broad head, murmuring, "Stay, boy."

Peso was stretched out on the back seat of the dually, and his tail thumped quietly against the seat a few times as he watched Vin without otherwise moving. It had been very hot that day and Peso was perfectly happy to lie in the truck and wait for his master like he had good sense. He had been shadowing Vin most of the day when he wasn't sprawled in some out of the way spot to watch, and he was ready to relax.

The weekend there in Mesquite had seemed about a week long in the late summer Texas heat, but the event was finally done and Chris and Vin were both glad to be leaving in the morning. The event had gone well for them both, though Buck had done better than either of them. Vin ended up with top day money in the saddle bronc both days and overall, and fourth and third in the calf roping on a colt Tell Jansen asked him to try out, but Vin's first place Saturday in the bareback bronc riding was followed by a disappointing ninth the second day because his horse in the final go-round quit on him, ending him up out of the money in fifth overall.

Chris had taken third and ninth in saddle bronc, didn't make top ten either day in bareback, took a fifth and second in tie down, a second and third in the steer wrestling, and a fifth and second in the bull riding. Chris' individual scores averaged in with the third and first he got in the team roping with Buck were enough for fourth overall in the average and earned him a check, but Chris still wasn't too happy with how he'd done. Just ahead of Chris in the average had been Landy Torbell, who Chris had been competing with off and on since high school and loathed almost as much as Landy hated him. Second place had been a local boy fresh out of high school that had made a lot of cowboys feel old right up until his final event, when he got a foot over the bulls neck and ended up riding it sideways half the ride.

Buck was barely in the top ten for the bronc riding events but he rode all four of his horses and was high enough in the money in the calf events and bull riding to make up for it and take top spot in the average, winning a nice saddle, a buckle, and a hefty check. Buck had no real use for the saddle, he liked the one he was using too much to switch out, but he'd add the new one to his collection in a storage facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma next time they could swing by that way. Buck had a dozen saddles there already along with the buckles, trophies, bridles, and fancy saddle blankets he'd taken home from other events, and every time he added another he made noises about selling them all, but it was all talk. Anybody who had seen the way Buck looked at the collection when he thought nobody was watching could easily see Buck was just about as proud of it all as any man could be. Chris' own collection was in the storage room next to Buck's and he was pretty proud of it too, especially the fact he had five more saddles than Buck did and three NFR gold buckles to Buck's two, even though Vin teased them both about keeping it all.

Vin had won quite a few buckles and saddles himself since his first year-end high-point saddle when he was thirteen, but he had no use for a bunch of shiny buckles or fancy tooled saddles so he'd sold most of them soon after he won them. The few saddles he did keep were all in Jimmy's tack room and had seen frequent use, except for his two National High School Finals Rodeo champion saddles. Jimmy had the one Vin won for calf roping in his living room, but the custom saddle Vin won for saddle bronc riding his senior year was Vin's favorite. It had been made to order exactly like Vin wanted on a light flexible tree with a roping horn and almost no skirts, all in slick dark leather except for an oval low on each of the fenders where the saddle had been tooled with his name, the event he won it for, and the year. Vin hauled the saddle with him on the road even though he didn't often compete with it, using it whenever he had a reason to ride even though it drew comments sometimes because it looked more like a barrel racer's saddle than anything else.

The results for that weekend's rodeo had led to Buck picking up a buckle bunny before the prizes had even been presented, one of the can chasers who was all starry-eyed over bagging the weekend's top cowboy. She was a pretty young blond, which was just Buck's speed, and she had been in Buck's lap even before she told him her name. Chris and Vin had been amused by her fawning all over Buck, who had flirted with the girl for barely five minutes before he passed his winnings over to Chris and then disappeared with the girl to go 'help her find her hotel'. Vin and Chris had stayed at the arena most of an hour longer getting the horses settled for the night - Buck hadn't even stuck around long enough to unsaddle Jo - in rented stalls and making sure their tack was locked up, and then they headed out to enjoy a little celebrating of their own.

It had been a good weekend and they were both cheerful about their planned trip the next day to northern Oklahoma to meet Jimmy at a BLM facility in Paul's Valley to look over some mustangs. Vin was looking for a good roping horse prospect and Chris was thinking about adopting a mare or two to breed to Playboy in the spring, so they expected to adopt at least one or two while they were there. Jimmy wanted a few more broodmares to turn out with Victorio too, and one of Jimmy's friends had told him some horses from Vin's favorite herd management area had just been shipped to Paul's Valley so Jimmy had taken the eight horse trailer just in case. Vin had been counting the days until he could go take a look at them even before Jimmy had called him that afternoon raving about the recently-gelded stallion with the bunch, a tough blue dun he said was the spitting image of Vin's old roping horse.

The only horse Vin had ever liked enough to buy had come from the same HMA, a place in Colorado called the Little Book Cliffs. Vin was fifteen when he adopted the horse, a seven year old dark blue dun gelding who was never quite convinced he wasn't a stallion anymore. Vin named him Wildcat for his agility and speed, and he had spent an entire summer taming the horse before they began competing on the Texas high school rodeo circuit together. Wildcat had hated cattle and chased them with a single-minded intensity that had been well-matched by his rider's determination to be the best roper around, which led to them being nearly unbeatable. Vin and Wildcat still held arena records in a few places, and more than one announcer still mentioned Vin's world-record calf roping run on Wildcat his first year on the pro circuit even though the record had been broken since then.

Vin would likely still be riding Wildcat and competing with him if the horse hadn't been tripped by a falling steer during a calf roping run when Wildcat was twelve, breaking Wildcat's foreleg and leaving Vin pinned under the thrashing horse with a broken leg of his own for what seemed like ages before Wildcat managed to get to his feet. Putting Wildcat down behind the arena a few minutes later had been the hardest thing Vin ever had to do but he wouldn't let anyone do it for him, refusing to go to the hospital to treat his own injuries until he knew Wildcat was no longer in pain. A day didn't go by that Vin didn't miss the dun mustang, and sometimes he still had nightmares about being pinned under the thrashing horse and then seeing Wildcat finally manage to stand with his foreleg mangled and bloody, obviously broken far too badly to ever recover.

Chris had stopped by the front of the truck to wait for Vin to join him, and he was smiling as he pocketed the keys. "He'll be fine," he said after a few minutes, amused by the way Vin was just standing there petting Peso. They didn't leave Peso in a trailer to guard it anymore like Jimmy had always done. The dog was happier being allowed to stay with Vin, who liked having him around, and Chris felt better knowing that Peso was watching Vin's back. Chris had always chained his stock trailer to a convenient post when he parked it anyway, either at his motel or at the arena where he was competing, so it didn't really need guarded. "He just had that bowl of ice and it's not hot anymore now that the sun's down."

Vin stroked over Peso's forehead again, reminding the dog quietly, "Stay. Guard." Peso's tail thumped again and then Vin headed towards Chris, smiling wryly as he said, "Yeah, I know, but I'd still rather bring him in with us. Twenty degrees cooler than a hundred and nine is still pretty warm."

Chris chuckled softly, starting to walk towards the door of the nearby bar as soon as Vin reached him. "He'll be fine," he repeated more quietly, reaching out to rest one hand on the small of Vin's back for a moment before he let it fall again. "That dog's tougher than both of us put together. He proved it when he and Victorio tangled this spring."

Peso still had a few scars to show for attacking the stallion when Victorio had busted a gate latch going after Vin a few months earlier, but even hurt the dog had still managed to keep the stud off of Vin long enough for Chris to help Vin get through another gate to safety.  Vin hadn't been hurt bad, just bruised and stunned by the gate hitting him, but Peso had ended up staying at the vet almost a week before they let him come home. The worst injury had been to one of Peso's back legs, where he had been pawed by the stallion and was bruised so badly that the vet ended up needing to do surgery to repair a ruptured vein deep in the muscle. It had healed up so well that there was hardly even a scar to show for it anymore, just a depression in the muscle most people wouldn't even notice, but at first the vet had worried Peso might lose the leg.

After Peso was finally home again, Chris had fed Peso a steak almost big enough to call a roast every night for a month and he still fed the dog steak at least once a week, along with anything else Chris had if he thought Peso wanted it. He figured Peso had earned that much and more, which was why Chris had taken Peso's side when the dog made it plain that he wanted to stick close to Vin after the incident. Some places they went didn't welcome the dog, which usually led to Peso spending time in the truck if it would be a short time or sprawled on Chris and Vin's bed snoozing if it would be an all-day thing, but they let him tag along whenever they could. Jimmy didn't mind, he was using Peso's sire to guard his trailer instead, a Blue Heeler named Cuervo who was very much a one-man dog and didn't really like anyone other than Jimmy, not even Vin.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Vin admitted as they got to the door of the bar, smiling as he glanced back towards the truck.

"'Course he will," Chris murmured as he opened the door, following Vin's gaze back to the truck and then chuckling softly.

Peso had sat up and was leaning sideways against the back of the seat watching them with a wide doggy smile, panting but obviously relaxed and comfortable. Chris was pretty sure the dog was likely wagging his tail, too. Peso _looked_ tough and was very good at acting vicious when he felt the need to intimidate someone, but it was mostly just a very impressive bluff. The dog was really a big old baby as long as nobody tried to hurt Vin or anything Peso had been told to guard.

"Stay!" Vin called quietly to the dog.

Peso obediently laid back down in the seat, sinking out of sight.

Vin looked back at Chris then and laughed softly at the way Chris was watching him. "Can't hurt to remind him."

"I didn't say a word," Chris said quickly, grinning as he reached to give Vin a little push towards the doorway. "Get in there, I'm hungry."

Vin went inside without any more protest, letting Chris nudge him towards a small empty booth in the back as he murmured, "You ain't the only one."

They both saw people they knew as they walked through the crowded bar but they didn't stop to talk to anyone, nodding a hello to a few people but otherwise minding their own business. They had a lot of people they called friend, even quite a few they hadn't realized knew them both until long after they met each other, but they didn't spend a lot of time with any of them outside of a rodeo arena. Chris and Vin were both very private men who didn't feel a need to be surrounded by people, preferring to be alone much of the time until they met each other and discovered they could share the solitude they both craved. They made an exception for Buck, who was just the opposite and hated to be alone, but Jimmy understood a bit better and just let them have their space, long used to the fact Vin could spend days by himself and never feel lonely.

Chris and Vin had barely gotten seated when a tall blonde carrying a tray stopped by Chris next to the table, smiling as she said cheerfully, "Hello boys, I'm Lisa and I'll be your waitress tonight. What'll it be?"

"A menu," Vin replied instantly with a grin. "We haven't had a bite since sunup and we're _starvin'_."

"And a couple cold bottles of Lone Star," Chris added with a pleased smile. "Ridin' and ropin' is thirsty work."

Lisa pulled a laminated card off of her tray, handing it to Vin and then giving Chris a much more inviting look as she reached out to run her free hand over his back and said, "No bottles, honey, but there's ice cold Lone Star on draft."

"Two drafts, then," Chris said with a much less friendly smile for Lisa, then looked at Vin. "What looks good, babe?"

"Just a sec." Vin read over the menu as quickly as he could, hiding his surprise that Chris had called him babe. It wasn't exactly a secret they were partners after nearly a year together, most on the circuit knew about it, but Chris just wasn't the type to be demonstrative in public. Chris touching Vin's back or shoulder was about as obvious as Chris got most of the time unless Vin had been hurt or someone made the mistake of insulting him. "I think I'll go with the barbecue platter," Vin said after a few moments, glad it wasn't a very long menu. "Brisket, sausage, and ribs with potato salad sounds pretty good."

"It does, for sure," Chris agreed, pleased. He glanced over the menu anyway and then offered it to the waitress adding, "Make it two of the barbecue, and that bone-in ribeye with fries, extra rare."

Vin laughed, giving Chris an amused look as he teased, "You're gonna have him so fat he _waddles_."

"He earned his steak dinners when he nearly got himself killed protecting you," Chris said easily. "And he hasn't had anything since breakfast either so I'm sure he's just as hungry as I am."

Vin grinned. "Probably, but still. That dog eats better than a lot of _people_."

"Yep," Chris agreed and then he glanced up at the waitress, wondering why she was still there. "Did you need something else?"

Lisa looked bemused as she half-asked, "You want a twenty dollar ribeye steak for your _dog_?"

"His dog," Chris said, "but yes."

" _Our_ dog," Vin corrected then, smiling. "Peso listens to you near as good as he does to me, and he's been stealin' _your_ shirt to sleep on most nights."

"By the time my shirt hits the floor most nights, it likely smells as much like you as me," Chris pointed out, smirking.

Vin blushed, laughing but not denying it. After a long day of behaving himself he _did_ kind of make a habit of tackling Chris as soon as they were alone, and Chris was usually more interested in getting Vin undressed than he was in taking off his own clothes. It wasn't unusual at all for the first round of the night to end with Vin sprawled on Chris' chest naked while Chris was still mostly dressed with his jeans pushed down to mid-thigh, if that far. They were lucky that lube and semen both washed out of clothes easily or Chris would have ended up with a lot of interesting stains.

"Oookay then. I'll be right back with your beer." Lisa turned to walk away towards the kitchen without another word.

Buck walked up to their table as the waitress was walking away, very rumpled with his shirt buttoned crookedly. "Move over with Vin, pard. I'm starving."

"Hello to you, too," Chris said dryly as he stood and moved to sit by Vin, who scooted over obligingly. The booth wasn't a large one and Buck was a big guy, so Chris didn't really mind moving. He'd much rather be sitting side by side with Vin than fighting Buck for elbow room, or anyone else for that matter.

"Didn't expect to see you again tonight," Vin said, grinning as he watched Buck flop down in the other side of the booth.

"Ah, she was sharin' that hotel room and didn't bother to tell me 'til it was too late," Buck said, making a face. "She went all blushin' schoolgirl when her friend walked in on us, and the other girl had a fit and had me hustled out in the hall before I was even dressed! I ended up puttin' my boots and shirt on in the elevator, and I still don't know what the hell happened to my socks or my shorts."

Vin snickered as Chris smirked at Buck and said, "Serves you right, that girl didn't even look like she's legal."

"She's _nineteen_ , I heard the announcer say so before her ride," Buck said quickly.

"Still, you're on the back side of thirty-five now, Bucklin," Chris pointed out, still smirking at his best friend. "Don't you think it's about time to stop datin' _kids_?"

"At least I'm not old as you," Buck said quickly with a little laugh, ignoring as always the fact Chris would never stop being a year older than he was. "And I ain't the only one likes 'em young and pretty! You got a good ten years on Vin."

"Thirteen," Vin pointed out, amused at both of them. "But at least _I_ can buy my own beer." Chris snickered at that and Buck gave him a dirty look as Vin grinned, adding, "How'd you find us anyway?"

"Hell, that was easy," Buck said with a vague wave of one hand. "Chris don't ever get far from the arena if he can keep from it. I just had the cabbie take me back there and then drive past the nearest bars to check for the dually. He didn't mind, I was payin' by the mile." He grinned. "Pulled up just in time to see Peso scare the shit out of a kid who leaned in the front window and reached down inside. Peso came up off the back seat snarling and the kid screamed like a little girl an' damn near _flew_ backin' away from the truck, landed on his ass ten feet away." Vin and Chris both laughed at that as Buck added, "Peso barked at him then an' the kid jumped up and took off runnin' towards that apartment buildin' across the road like his baggy-assed britches was on fire."

"Stupid kid. Only his momma will know how scared he really was," Chris said, smirking. "When she washes his shorts."

"Prob'ly didn't see those stickers you put in the back window," Vin agreed, snickering slightly. The one on the driver's side was just text that said, " _Caution: Guard Dog on Duty,_ " but the other one Chris had spotted on a pickup at a Wal-Mart in Arkansas and spent an hour waiting for the guy who owned the truck so Chris could ask where he got it. The guy had turned out to have an extra he was willing to sell and Chris had put it on the back window on the passenger side right there on the spot. It was a simple white silhouette of a standing Pit Bull surrounded by the text, " _You might get in, but you won't get out!_ "

The waitress, Lisa, returned to the table then, putting mugs of beer in front of Chris and Vin as she said, "It'll be a few more minutes for your food, Jose is pulling another load of meat out of the smoker right now."

"That's fine," Chris said easily, giving her a polite smile.

"Thanks," Vin added, reaching for his beer to take a drink.

"Anytime." Lisa turned her attention to Buck, smiling at him as she asked, "What'll it be?"

Buck turned on the charm, giving Lisa a wide welcoming grin. "How about a frosty mug of whatever that is they're drinking, little lady? And you might should bring a pitcher, too. I'm drier than a popcorn fart."

Lisa laughed. "I hear you, hon. You hungry too, or just here to wet your whistle?"

"Starvin'," Buck said quickly, still grinning. "You serve steaks?" She nodded and he said, "I'll take whatever the biggest one is with a baked potato."

"Whatcha want on the potato?" Lisa asked, quickly writing down the order.

"Butter, sour cream, and bacon, darlin'," Buck replied.

"Alright, I'll be right back with your beer," Lisa said cheerfully, looking at Chris and Vin as she added, "and likely your meals, too. Did you want that steak and fries for your dog in a to go box?"

"Yeah, please," Chris agreed, nodding.

"You got it," Lisa said, already heading towards the kitchen again.

"You ordered that dog a steak?" Buck asked with a bit of a laugh. "Again?"

"Peso's gotta eat too," Chris said quickly.

"He's a _dog_ , Chris," Buck said. "They eat _dog food_. Why don't you just buy him a bag of Alpo?"

"Cause he won't want that shit, for starters," Chris pointed out dryly.

"Well, who would when he can con you into buyin' him _steak_?" Buck half-asked, laughing.

"That bagged stuff is more corn than anything else," Chris said reasonably, ignoring the question. "Peso's grown up eatin' whatever Jimmy and Vin did. He'd feel mistreated if we made him switch to that dry crap now."

Vin snickered and added, "He really would. He won't touch dog food, that's why he eats table scraps even at home. He'd much rather have hamburgers and sausage biscuits."

"Well, of course he would, he's _spoiled_ ," Buck agreed, "but at least you didn't feed him _steaks_ all the time."

"He earned it!" Chris said firmly, trying not to laugh. "I buy you steak dinners all the time even though I didn't see _you_ charging in to get between Vin and Victorio when that crazy bronc went for him."

"I ain't that damn dumb!" Buck protested. "I was going for a _rifle_ like I had good sense. I still say that stud needs put down before he manages to kill somebody, it's only a matter of time."

"Nah, he avoids most people if you let him," Vin said easily, amused. "It's just me he'll run down if he gets half a chance, and that ain't all bad. Sure makes it easier to catch him when we need to, all I gotta do is ride out in the pasture and let him see me an' then he'll follow me right back to the pens."

"You're lucky that dirt bike of yours can outrun him," Buck said pointedly. "If you tried that shit on horseback, you'd be dead."

"I ain't goin' anywhere near Victorio on horseback," Vin said, laughing. "I'm crazy, not stupid."

Chris snorted, amused. "That's debatable."

"Oh, shut up," Vin said with a grin. "You seem to like me just fine anyhow."

"Got past _like_ the first night," Chris admitted with a little grin, reaching for his mug to take a drink of his beer.

Vin grinned wider and was about to tease Chris about it not taking the whole night when the waitress hurried up carrying a tray with two over-flowing platters of barbecue, a third plate in her other hand that held a steak and a loaded baked potato.

"Here you go, fellas," Lisa said cheerfully as she stopped by the table. She reached to put the plate of steak in front of Buck as she added, "Sorry it took a while, but I guarantee the food's good enough to make up for the wait."

"It looks perfect, darlin," Buck said quickly, grinning up at Lisa.

"Best in town," Lisa replied, giving Chris and then Vin their plates of barbecued ribs, brisket, sausage, and potato salad. Next she passed the three of them a bundle of silverware each that was rolled up in a napkin and then added, "I'll bring the steak for your dog in a few minutes, I didn't think you'd be in a hurry for it."

"That's fine," Chris said, not even looking up as he unrolled his napkin to get to his knife and fork.

Lisa headed off back towards the kitchen, and Buck waited for her to get out of earshot before he said, "You was damn near _rude_ , Chris. What'd she do to piss you off?"

Vin snickered slightly, picking up a rib off his plate and watching them as he took a bite.

"She was practically all over me when we walked in here, touchin' me and shit," Chris muttered as he tried to cut his brisket, making a face at how dull the knife he'd been given was. He dropped it on the table and reached for the worn leather sheath on his belt to pull out his rope knife, flicking it open with his thumb. He started to neatly slice the brisket on his plate as he added, "You know how I hate it when women do that."

Buck just watched Chris cut up a few bites before he asked, "Didn't you use that knife to cut your neck rope off Playboy tonight?"

"Yeah," Chris replied, "so?" He ate a bite of brisket, slicing up some more while he waited for Buck to answer.

"That rope was so sweated up it was _filthy,_ " Buck pointed out, looking a little disgusted. "Now you're just gonna _eat_ with it?"

"Looks that way, yeah," Chris agreed with a slight grin, starting to slice his sausage. "Knife she gave me's too dull to cut butter."

Vin stifled a grin as he finished off his first rib. Chris and Buck had the same discussion often, and it always turned out the same. Chris saw no reason to ever worry about what might be on his knife and was a firm believer that eating a little dirt once in a while never hurt anyone. He was a roper who regularly held a pigging string in his mouth that was used to tie a calf's legs together. Compared to that, he figured slicing up his food with a knife that at least _looked_ clean and shiny was nothing to worry about. The funniest part though, at least to Vin, was that Buck wouldn't even _consider_ eating with Chris' pocket knife but he didn't bat an eye at chomping down on a pigging string.

Chris laid aside his knife to eat then and Vin reached over to snag it and cut up his own brisket and sausage, earning a stifled noise from Buck that made him want to laugh. He looked up at Buck after a moment, catching his disgusted expression, and he did laugh then. "Buck, if it bothers you that much, just don't watch."

"Y'all are both _heathens_ ," Buck said firmly. "Shoulda been born a hundred years ago, I swear to God! You'd have fit right in!"

Chris laughed as Vin grinned at Buck and asked, "Why don't you tell us somethin' we _don't_ know, Bucklin?"

"I bet y'all didn't even wash your hands when you was done puttin' away the horses for the night," Buck said, beginning to be a little amused despite himself.

"My hands ain't no dirtier than the rest of me," Vin said cheerfully.

"Likely a lot cleaner," Chris pointed out, giving Vin a little grin. "We did scrub out those nasty automatic waterers before we left."

"There y' go," Vin agreed, nodding to Chris and then grinning at Buck. "See? They're fine."

Buck stared at Vin a moment, then looked at Chris, then looked down to start in on his dinner as he muttered, "Two peas in a damn pod."

Vin glanced at Chris and they grinned at each other, then both dug in to their dinner too.

It wouldn't be long before Buck started in with something else, Vin knew. If it wasn't Chris' eating habits they were arguing over, it'd be Buck's girls, or Chris nearly missing a heel catch that day, or Buck having to practically pick up his steer to get it flipped in the steer wrestling, or Vin getting carted halfway down the arena by a bronc before it quit on him and not only stopped bucking but just plain stopped, or whatever else Buck could think of to start a conversation about. Chris and Buck both had a tendency to want to get laid when they were bored, but teasing each other was their favorite way to pass the time when they were bored in public.

 

~*~

 

Buck shifted in his side of the booth to get more comfortable, watching Vin with a little grin and wondering just how many mugs of beer he'd had. They held quite a bit more than a bottle to start with, and Buck suspected Vin had at least three of them over the course of the evening. Vin was a bit of a lightweight and usually drank no more than two bottles of beer before he had a good buzz going on, and he was obviously well past that point and heading fast for just plain drunk. Vin's blue eyes were bright and happy though, and he was grinning like everything Chris or Buck said was amusing to him, so Buck figured it wasn't all bad.

Buck let his gaze stray to Chris, hiding a smirk behind his own mug as he took a sip. Chris sure didn't seem to think so, anyway. He was watching Vin like he might have him for dessert, green eyes sparkling with more heat than Chris usually allowed to show in public, which made Buck realize Chris was very nearly drunk, too.  Vin murmured something Buck didn't quite catch over the noise in the bar, and Chris smirked wickedly as he leaned closer, putting his lips near Vin's ear as he murmured something that made Vin's blue eyes go dark and intent. Vin was looking at Chris like he might make a meal out of him right there, and Buck decided it was time to go.

Buck was pretty sure they were about to scandalize some folks if he didn't get them out of there in a hurry, and he set his beer on the table as he said cheerfully, "Hey pard, what'd you do with the keys?"  He was still fairly sober, sober enough to drive them safely to their hotel just down the road at least, but he wasn't sure he could say the same for either of the other two.

Chris blinked and looked at Buck, taking a moment longer than normal to get his mind on what Buck had said before he spoke slowly, acting as if Buck was the one who was drunk. "The keys are in my _pocket_ , Bucklin, where they belong."

"Well, pass 'em on over here, pard," Buck said easily, grinning. "My turn to drive."

Chris frowned slightly, looking as if he might argue until Vin murmured, "You can ride in the back with me."

Chris looked at Vin, grinning suddenly as he teased, "Can't even wait until the hotel?"

" _Can_ , sure," Vin said, smirking slightly. "Don't particularly _want to_ , though."

Chris grinned wider and stood to dig the keys out of his pocket, passing them over to Buck as he said cheerfully, "You settle up and then come on, Buck. We'll be in the truck."

Buck snorted, amused as he took the keys. "Don't get arrested."

"Not plannin' on it," Chris agreed, stepping away from the booth to give Vin room to get out. As soon as Vin was on his feet, Chris settled one hand on the small of his back to give Vin a little push, starting him moving towards the door as he leaned in close and murmured something to Vin that made Vin smirk and start walking a little faster.

Buck snickered and shook his head as he reached for his beer, hoping they'd at least get out of sight in the pickup before Vin started losing his clothes. It would be up to Chris to remember to behave, he knew. Vin was shy most of the time, especially when someone was trying to praise him, but all bets were off when he'd been drinking and he would let Chris talk him into just about anything. There had even been once that Buck was woken up to go control them because they were caught in a hotel swimming pool, both naked as jaybirds while they tried to act sorry between Vin breaking out in _giggles_ while Chris fought to hide a grin. Buck had tried teasing them about it later and been bemused to realize neither of them was even sorry.

Buck finished off his beer and then stood up and stretched, looking around for their waitress and then gesturing for her to come over. He took out his wallet while he was waiting, and when Lisa reached him he smiled warmly at her as he asked, "How much do we owe ya, darlin'?"

Lisa reached into her pocket, flipping through several tickets before she pulled out the right one, smiling at Buck as she said cheerfully, "Here you go, honey."

Buck accepted the receipt, checking the total quickly and then pulling a hundred and two twenties out of his wallet to offer them to the waitress as he said, "You keep the change."

Lisa beamed, accepting the money and tucking it into her pocket as she said, "You're such a sweetheart!" She stretched up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek, then added with a little giggle, "Don't forget the dog's steak."

Buck laughed. "Yeah, can't forget Peso. Spoiled mutt." He leaned to grab the foam to go tray off the table and then nodded to her. "G'night."

"Night, honey," Lisa replied, then hurried off towards a nearby table where two men Buck recognized were standing up and obviously preparing to leave. The older of the two was the guy who had taken top spot in the bull riding that night, Josiah Sanchez, a man Buck had seen around the circuit for years. The other one was a tall black guy who was quickly becoming one of the top bull doggers in the country even though he was still in his first season on the pro circuit, though Buck couldn't remember the guy's name at the moment.

Buck made his way through the fairly crowded bar towards the front door, and he had just gotten outside when he heard the unmistakable sound of Peso barking. Peso was still in the back seat of the truck, but he was looking out the far side having a fit and it took Buck only an instant to realize why. Chris and Vin were in the middle of a group of six men, both of them fighting, but it was obvious to Buck after just a glance that they were losing badly. Vin's cheek was already cut and he was moving like he was a bit dazed, and Chris had two guys trading hits on him.

"Dammit!" Buck blurted angrily, hurrying towards the truck and the men who were gathered on the far side of it. He dropped the to go container on the hood of the truck on his way by it and then was taking a swing at one of the men who was going after Vin, knocking the guy on his ass. A big guy who had just been watching until then turned towards Buck and took a swing at him, tagging Buck hard right on his jaw, and then suddenly Buck had his hands full just holding his own.

Vin took a hard hit to the jaw from one of the others a moment later, going down on his hands and knees, and then another one kicked him in the right side hard enough to make Vin cry out, curling both arms around himself to protect his ribs. Vin rolled away towards the truck as the guy tried to kick him again, that time barely hitting his hip, but rolling over made Vin's ribs suddenly hurt much worse and the impact drew another pained noise from him anyway.

"Peso!" Chris exclaimed angrily, "guard Vin!" He punched one of the two guys who were still after him in the jaw, knocking him back, but the other one managed to get him right over the ear, dazing him a bit.

Peso had only stayed in the truck because Vin told him to just as the fight started, and he didn't hesitate when Chris gave him permission to join in. The big black dog sprang out of the side window of the truck to land on the nearest one of the men, biting his hat with an angry growl and knocking the guy who had kicked Vin sprawling. Peso shook the hat hard, still growling, and then tossed it aside as he put himself between Vin and everyone else, snarling but not trying to bite because the two men were hurriedly scrambling away from him. Peso had been taught never to hurt anyone who was leaving so he didn't even though he wanted to, just snarling angrily at the strangers who had hurt his owner.

The guys who had been after Vin turned on Chris and Buck then, making it three to one against them both, and Buck was sure they were about to get their asses kicked when Josiah came quickly around the front of the truck saying, "Now this just doesn't look _fair_ , boys." He grabbed one of the men Chris was fighting with no further warning, turning the guy around and pulling him right into a hard punch that made the guy drop like his strings had been cut, out cold.

Josiah's tall black friend was right behind him, wading into the fight with a scowl as he added, "Two to one's bad enough, but _three_ to one's just _wrong_!" He knocked sprawling one of the men that Buck had been fighting, and then Buck was too busy ducking a punch from another man to watch the others anymore.

Chris took another hit over the ear that dazed him enough to knock him to his knees, and then Josiah was between him and the two guys he had still been fighting. Josiah made short work of knocking one of them on his ass, and then the other tripped over his buddy and Josiah kicked out, clipping the guy on the side of the head and knocking him sprawling.

Buck finished off the guy he was fighting and then looked around, surprised to see it was over. All six of the men who had attacked Chris and Vin were down and only one of them was moving, but that didn't last long as Josiah moved over to punch the guy, knocking him out.

"Nighty-night," Josiah muttered, sounding amused, and his friend let out a snort of a laugh.

Chris gave his head a bit of shake, trying to clear it, and Buck moved towards him as he asked, "You okay there, pard?"

Chris waved Buck off even though he had blood steadily running down the right side of his head over his ear to drip onto his shoulder. "Don't worry about me, just got my bell rung. How's Vin?"

"I'd be glad to find out, if I could get near him," Josiah's friend said, frowning. "One of y'all call off that junkyard dog."

Buck and Chris both looked towards Vin then to see Peso was between Vin and the man, head down and teeth bared as he silently dared the guy to come closer. Vin was still holding his ribs and lying very still, and Buck realized Vin had passed out, which could make calming Peso down a lot harder. Peso _usually_ listened to Chris and even Buck pretty well, but he was Vin's dog and could be very protective when Vin was hurt.

Chris reached for Buck's hand and Buck helped Chris drag himself to his feet, steadying him as Chris swayed for a moment and then Chris was moving over towards Peso as he said firmly, "Peso, it's okay. Nathan's a _friend_."

Peso glanced at Chris and then back at the tall black man, a low growl rumbling in his throat when Nathan stepped hesitantly towards him.

"Peso!" Chris said more sharply, "leave it!"

Peso took a step back, looking unhappy and a little confused, and Chris moved to reach for Peso's heavy hand-tooled leather collar, pulling him to one side.

"It's _okay_ , fellah," Chris said more quietly, careful not to let go of Peso's collar. "Just settle down." Peso glanced up at Chris and then looked at Vin, whining as Chris looked at Nathan and added, "Be careful of his ribs. They've been busted up pretty bad before and I saw him get kicked just before I called Peso out of the truck."

"Wonderful," Nathan muttered, moving quickly to Vin now that Chris had a hold of the dog. He touched Vin's throat, checking his pulse, then carefully started to roll Vin to his back.

Vin groaned as the pain of being moved woke him and he took a swing at Nathan with his left hand, muttering, "Get offa me!"

Nathan lifted both hands away from Vin. "Easy! Just tryin' to help."

Peso pulled to try to get to Vin with a low grumbly noise that wasn't quite a growl, and Chris tightened his grip on Peso's collar as he said quickly, "He's a friend of Josiah's, Vin. Nathan did a couple years of med school. He's just trying to check your ribs, see if you got any busted."

Vin was frowning and looking confused as he shifted to try to sit up, then flinched at a stab of pain in his right side and settled back down on the parking lot as he wrapped his right arm around his ribs again. "Yeah, pretty sure." He took a careful breath, then added, "I don't need you pokin' at 'em to know they're not too bad, though. I ain't got a punctured lung this time."

"Scary you had busted ribs enough you can tell that," Nathan said as he stood and stepped back, frowning.

"Broken ribs means hospital," Chris said firmly, not at all surprised by the way Vin groaned. "Don't argue with me, babe. You're going even if I gotta tie you up an' carry you."

Vin made a face and then sighed and nodded. "Alright." He looked up at Chris and then blinked, frowning. "Chris, why is there blood all over you?"

Chris lifted his free hand to the wetness he could feel on his face and in the edge of his hair, feeling gingerly at the edge of the most painful spot above his ear. "That one guy managed to split my scalp when he punched me. Prob'ly looks a lot worse than it is. I ain't even dizzy."

"Speaking of those guys, why in hell did they go after you two?" Buck asked, frowning at Chris.

Chris let go of Peso finally, not looking at Buck. "I didn't pay much attention to 'em when we came out, they was over that way." He gestured off towards the far side of the lot. "We'd just barely got to the truck and--" He blushed a little bit. "Well, I kissed Vin 'cause he was bein' a tease and then Peso was snarlin' in my ear and by the time I turned around they were all around us."

Peso had moved to lie down by Vin as soon as Chris let go of him, and Vin laid his hand on the dog's shoulder as he murmured, "Speakin' of, I thought I told you to stay in the truck, mutt."

Peso just wagged his tail and licked at Vin's wrist.

"I told him to protect you when you went down," Chris said, moving to crouch by Vin.

Vin met Chris' gaze, frowning slightly with his left hand still on Peso's shoulder. "That's dangerous for him, you know how people are about Pits. If he bit someone --"

"He'd think it was worth it, as long as he kept you safe," Chris finished firmly for him. "That dog'd die for you, just like I would."

"Don't mean I want to let either one of you do it," Vin pointed out.

"Not my plan either," Chris agreed, "but I had my hands full an' I didn't want them hurtin' you any worse." He could tell Vin was about to argue, but he went on before Vin could get started. "Let's get you up and in the truck so we can get you to the ER. You need those ribs x-rayed." He looked at Nathan and Josiah then, adding, "I appreciate you two stepping in when you did. I owe you."

"Glad to lend a hand, Chris," Josiah said with an easy-going smile.

Nathan nodded but didn't say anything, watching Chris and Vin get unsteadily to their feet before he asked suddenly, "Just how much have y'all had to drink?"

"Enough we ain't driving," Chris replied, giving Nathan a wry look.

Nathan looked measuringly at Buck. "And you?"

"Three beers," Buck replied. "I'm still good to drive, I stopped when I noticed Chris'd had too much."

Nathan snorted. "You've had too much too, big as those mugs in there are." He looked at Josiah, adding, "I'll drive these three to the ER, it's just a couple miles."

"Up to them," Josiah said easily. "I can follow easy enough, I don't mind."

"I'm fine to drive, Nathan," Buck protested.

Nathan looked back at Buck, giving him that appraising look again as he asked, "Can you look me in the eye and say you're completely sober?"

Chris snorted. "Hell no he ain't sober." Buck looked at him, surprised and amused, and watched as Chris opened the rear passenger door of the pickup, adding, "Just give him the keys, Buck. Likely smart none of us drive right now. On top of that beer, I saw you take a couple hard shots to the head too."

"I didn't get shook up that bad," Buck protested, but he dug in his pocket to pass the keys over to Nathan anyway. "Not like you did. I'm better at takin' a hit."

"Load up," Vin murmured, watching Peso leap up into the truck before he moved to climb in himself.

"Got a jaw like a rock, too," Chris said a bit absently as he helped Vin into the seat, frowning at the way Vin gasped in pain as he moved. When Vin was settled, Chris lifted one hand to brush back Vin's hair back from his face and then cupped his cheek, making Vin look at him. Vin leaned into the touch slightly as Chris asked very softly, "Just how bad is it, baby? You've gone pale as a ghost."

Vin took a slow breath, wincing as he inhaled a little too deep and flexed his ribs, then admitted, "Hospital soon's a good idea. Gettin' up here shifted the damn things." He hesitated, breathing carefully, then added, "Startin' to feel like maybe I got a lung after all. Ain't bad, but it sure ain't good, either."

"We're going, right now," Chris said quietly, smoothing Vin's hair back from his face again. "Just sit back and be still, okay?"

Vin nodded and settled back obediently in the seat, wincing and then closing his eyes and just breathing slow and careful. Peso moved to lay his head on Vin's thigh, whining softly, and Vin carefully shifted to put his right hand on the dog's big head without opening his eyes, murmuring, "I'm okay, mutt."

Chris snorted but he didn't argue, stepping back and closing Vin's door as he looked at Buck and then Nathan. "Let's go," he said firmly, then turned away to head quickly around the back of the dually to get in on the other side.

"I'll be right behind you, brother," Josiah said quietly, bending to grab one of the guys closest to the truck and unceremoniously heaving him further away so Nathan could back out. He ignored he way the guy groaned when he landed, heading across the lot towards his battered old Chevy pickup. Another one of the men who had attacked Chris and Vin was starting to come around a bit, too, but the guy was obviously done, not even looking towards the truck or the men getting into it.

Nathan opened the driver's door of the dually to get in, and by the time he'd gotten the truck started Chris was already sitting in the back and Buck was climbing in the passenger side with the to go box off the hood. Nathan backed out as soon as they both had their doors shut, then headed towards the nearest hospital as quickly as was safe.

 

~*~

 

"So you're a vet, huh?" Buck asked Nathan curiously.

They were sitting in one of several small waiting rooms scattered around between the exam rooms in the ER, which was surprisingly quiet given the size of the city they were in. Evidently late on Sunday night wasn't a very popular time to get hurt in Mesquite, which suited Buck just fine since it had gotten Vin and Chris into exam rooms as soon as they arrived. Of course, it hadn't led to them being _treated_ quickly so it was a give and take sort of thing. There was only one ER doctor on duty so Vin had been cared for first before anyone even looked at Chris, but that hadn't bothered Chris at all other than the fact that he wasn't in the room with Vin. Chris and Vin hadn't ever considered doing any paperwork to make their relationship official, but Buck was pretty sure they would be. Chris was beside himself about not being allowed into the exam room with Vin.

Chris had told Buck to check on Vin for him, but the nurses wouldn't let Buck in either so Chris sent Buck back out to the truck to give Peso his dinner and walk the dog. Chris was getting grouchy as a bear with a sore tooth by then so Buck was glad to go, though walking Peso wasn't as easy for him as it was for Chris or Vin. They only had a few lead ropes, all of which were in the stock trailer or with the horses at the arena, so Buck had to dig an old set of reins out of the big tool box in the bed of the truck to improvise a leash. Peso never needed a leash when he walked with Vin or Chris, sticking close and behaving perfectly, but Buck wasn't about to risk turning the dog loose without either of them in sight. With his luck, Peso would take off into the hospital and scare the nurses to death, trying to find Vin.

Buck had lingered over walking Peso because he hoped Chris would be done by the time he got back to the exam room, but that hadn't been the case. What Chris had tried to dismiss as just a split scalp turned out to be where one of the men he fought with had gouged away the skin above his ear right down to the bone, most likely with a ring, leaving Chris with a minor concussion and a nasty gash that wasn't going to close up without stitches. Chris was still waiting for the local to take effect so he could get stitched up, though he had told Buck that Vin had already been x-rayed and then hustled off down the hall.

One of the nurses had taken pity on Chris when she saw how worried he was, and she had gone to check on Vin for him. She came back only a few moments after Buck did and told Chris and Buck that Vin was in surgery to have the broken rib put back in place and secured so it couldn't move again. She assured them wouldn't take long and then Vin would be fine, though he couldn't ride for the next eight weeks, and then she got out a suture kit to start working on the gash in Chris' hair. Chris had told Buck to go away right after that because he was hovering and seemed more hurt by the stitches than Chris was, so Buck ended up in the waiting room with Josiah, who was reading a book, and Nathan, who seemed to think his phone was very funny.

Buck had checked his own phone for messages, texted Jimmy about what had happened even though he knew Jimmy would be asleep, and then had nothing to really do but hurry up and wait. Within a few minutes, he was bored stiff.

"Gonna be," Nathan replied, looking up from his phone to grin at Buck. "Started out in med school and was doin' good with the classes, but I barely made it through my first month of internship before I changed my mind."

Nathan and Josiah had decided to stick around with Buck at least until Chris was done, which was supposed to be soon. Nobody believed they could get Chris to _leave_ then, of course - Chris would be staying there until Vin was released - but at least he'd be able to keep Buck company until Vin was out of surgery. Buck planned to head out to the hotel then and get some use out of that room Chris and Vin had paid for while Chris was busy hovering over Vin like a hen with one chick.

Buck chuckled. "No stomach for seein' folks hurt?"

"Nah, man, that don't bother me," Nathan said with an easy grin. "It's having to put up with 'em fussing. Give me a horse to work on any day, at least it won't argue with me about how it's special and can't be treated like I know it should be."

Buck snickered. "I hear ya." He tilted his head, curious as he asked, "How'd you get from med school to rodeo, though?"

"I was on the high school circuit and I always did pretty decent," Nathan replied. "Riding in high school got me the scholarship that paid my way up to med school before it ran out, and the grant I got after that was only for a year. I could take on some pretty hefty student loans and do vet school now but I'm gonna ride a couple years first, see if I can't save up enough to at least give me a good start on finishing out without so much debt hanging over my head. With all the classes I already had, I only need two more years of school to get my doctorate."

"You can do it," Josiah said, looking up from the book he was reading to smile at Nathan. "You've been making more than double what you spend all season and your first year in the pros you're on your way to the Finals in three events. You'll likely take home day money at least once or twice if you get decent runs, maybe even the average in steer wrestling or tie down." He grinned. "Team roping's not likely for either of us unless you get that heel shot a little more reliable, but there's always next year."

"I still say I oughta be the one heading," Nathan said, amused. "I was a header in high school and hardly ever missed shot."

"Maybe, but I've been roping longer than you and I miss the heels even more," Josiah admitted, still grinning as Nathan laughed. "At least you're still improving, brother."

"Never did like heelin' myself," Buck said, chuckling. "I can head a steer all day, but throw me at the other end and I'm gonna miss a lot more than I catch."

"Chris is a heeler though, isn't he?" Nathan asked, smiling at Buck.

"Yeah, one of the best," Buck agreed, nodding. "We'll make it to the Finals again this year, for sure. He misses once in a while, but he's quick to get that second throw in." He paused, then added, "Vin's as good though, maybe better. He just doesn't run much because Chris an' I been ropin' together since we were kids and Vin don't wanna mess with that unless one of us isn't feelin' up to it. It's a damn shame, too, he'd be one of the top guys out there. Headed on a run that was an arena record in Tulsa with Chris this spring while I was out with the flu, and he did some awesome runs heeling for me last month while Chris was getting over that dislocated shoulder."

Nathan looked at Josiah, eyebrows going up as he said, "Sounds like maybe you should talk to Vin about doing some roping after his ribs heal up, Josiah."

"Yeah, lessons for you," Josiah agreed, smirking slightly as Nathan laughed.

Buck grinned. "He'd do it. He spent two hours with a local kid we didn't even know today, teachin' him how to get his rope horse to set back for him and keep the rope tight. Poor kid had a calf that was flyin' all over the place last night and his sorrel was just following it along pretty as you please."

Josiah chuckled. "I remember seeing that run, I almost offered to work on his horse myself."

"Someone sure needed to," Nathan agreed, amused. "It was just sad."

Chris walked into the waiting room then, looking tired and worried as he went over to sit down next to Buck without a word. His hair had been shaved over his right ear around a bruised knot that had a neatly stitched gash across it, the top of his ear and part of his temple both bruised and swollen too. He also had a bruise on his jaw on the left side, split knuckles on his right hand, and was still wearing the pale blue denim shirt he'd worn that day even though half the snaps were open and it was streaked with dried blood.

"You okay, pard?" Buck asked quietly, his amusement forgotten.

Chris made a face, tipping his head back against the wall and looking up at the ceiling as he replied softly, "Vin's still in surgery." It wasn't exactly an answer to the question Buck asked, but he knew Buck would understand.

"It hasn't been long, Chris," Josiah said calmly. "Pinning broken ribs back together is delicate work, it might take a while."

"Especially if it's been broke before like Buck said," Nathan added, making Chris look at him. "They may end up stabilizing it another way if the bone's messed up from the old break. Josiah's got a chunk of metal plate where a bull hooked him and busted a couple ribs he'd broke before."

"Whatever they do, I hope they get it done soon," Chris said quietly. "The longer he's out, the more likely they're gonna want to make him stay."

"They're probably gonna keep him at least a few hours, Chris," Nathan pointed out. "Usually do if they have to do surgery, even something so minor."

"Maybe so, but he _hates_ being in the hospital," Chris explained. "Stayin' long will do him more harm than good. I think he'd rather get up in front of an _arena_ full of people an' have to listen to 'em tell him how special he is."

Buck chuckled, very aware that the quickest way to make Vin want to flee was to start in praising him. Chris could get away with it sometimes, but pretty much anyone else trying to tell Vin how talented he was would have Vin blushing and making excuses to make himself scarce. To hear Vin tell it, he was nothing special with no talent for anything except riding broncs, and given a chance he'd even talk that down as if he wasn't one of the top five riders in the country. Vin hated to go up in front of folks to accept his winnings right after an event and would disappear as soon as he possibly could, avoiding saying much even to anyone who tried to interview him.

Nathan smiled at Chris. "If he's lucky they'll let him go in the morning."

"Ain't like he'd be gettin' himself into trouble," Chris said, smiling slightly at Nathan and then looking over towards the door. He didn't want to see Buck's reaction.  "When I get him outta here, we're goin' straight home and he's gonna stay put at least a couple weeks. We ain't had a break since July."

"Only way he'll stay at home is if _you_ do," Buck pointed out, surprised. "We'd miss out on that big rodeo in Oklahoma City next week."

"Then I'll stay home too," Chris said, still not looking at Buck. "It ain't like missing one rodeo would make much difference in the standings for either of us."

"Some nice prizes available next week, though," Buck pointed out. "You two had your heart set on that big slant-load trailer they're givin' to whoever wins the average. Between us we got a good chance of takin' it home, and then we'd have room to haul a ropin' horse for Vin."

Vin could borrow Playboy or Jo when he wanted to compete in the roping events, of course, and he did sometimes, but he didn't like doing it often because he worried that he'd pull an early run and leave the horse tired when Chris or Buck needed it for their own run. The stock trailer Chris and Buck had used for years was big enough for four horses, but it only had one divider. Playboy was a stud so he couldn't be hauled in the front half with a mare, and he didn't like to be crowded by geldings. Jo was a bully who just wouldn't share the back half of the trailer at all, or any small area for that matter.

Chris looked at Buck again finally. "So I'll push hard for the Finals and I'll buy one instead." He hesitated slightly and then added, "You're welcome to use the truck an' trailer if you wanna go without us, Buck. You could win it without me if you make a few calls, get someone to heel for you. Hell, you can even take Playboy, he knows his job well enough to get anyone in position workin' with you and Jo."

Buck met Chris' gaze as he said, "That's not what I'm sayin' Chris, not at all. You know Vin ain't gonna want you dropping in the ranks on his account. He could sit in the stands an' watch you run. "

"Takin' care of him is more important," Chris said quietly. "If he's at that event, you _know_ he's gonna want to be right there in the chute helpin' with our broncs and wrestling Jo back in the box for you to make it out clean an' all the rest. It's just how he is."

"So we'll get Jimmy to come along an' sit on him," Buck said. He knew Chris was right, Vin would want to be right there in the thick of it and an injury wasn't likely to stop him. Vin had dislocated his thumb arguing with Victorio on the second night of the Finals the year before and didn't even slow down, popping it back in place before the medics even saw it and going right back into the chute. He'd ended up riding the stallion for ninety-seven points despite the injury, winning not only the go around but eventually the average and taking home the buckle in the saddle bronc event. His hand had been purple for over a week but he had just ignored it, still riding, roping, and working with the horses. "That, or get Charlie to come out. She'd _really_ sit on him, an' Vin'd be so busy blushin' he'd forget to fight her off."

Chris smiled, easily able to picture that. Charlie was one of Buck's old girlfriends that had traveled with Chris and Buck for most of a year when they first went pro, and the three of them were still close as family. Charlie was tough as any cowboy, more than a little wild with absolutely no shame, and she got a kick out of making Vin blush. Chris and Buck always made time to visit her when they were anywhere near Cheyenne, and she welcomed them with open arms every time. Chris had actually taken Vin to meet her for the first time just a few days after they met, and within an hour Charlie had claimed Vin as part of the family too. Even after most of a year Vin still wasn't quite sure how to take it sometimes, but he liked her anyway.

A tall blonde nurse in bright pink scrubs stepped into the doorway then, smiling at Chris as she said, "Your partner's just come out of surgery, Mr. Larabee, he's going to be fine. He's being moved to a room right now. He should wake up soon and then you can see him, but the doctor wants to keep him for observation until he does his morning rounds." She laughed softly, adding, "If you can get him to hold still that long. We hadn't even gotten his x-rays done yet when Mr. Tanner started telling me he was leaving as soon as the doctor was done with him."

"Not surprising," Chris replied. "I'll make sure he stays put until the doc clears him, though."

"As long as he doesn't do too much, there's no reason he can't leave in the morning," the nurse said, smiling warmly at Chris. "I'm sure he'll be fine, the doctor had no problem stabilizing the broken rib. Dr. Mitchell just wants to be certain he doesn't have a reaction to the anesthetic."

"As long as you made sure they didn't give him penicillin, he should be good," Chris said, smiling and looking relieved.

"It's on his chart, I added it myself," the nurse agreed, still smiling. She heard something out in the hall and leaned to look, then glanced back at Chris as she added, "I have to go, but someone will come get you as soon as you can see him. It shouldn't be too long."

"Thank you," Chris said, quiet and sincere.

"No problem, honey," the nurse said quickly, then turned away and left the waiting room.

"See? He's fine," Buck said, making Chris look at him. He grinned, adding, "And if it's gonna be after daylight before they let him go, I'm gonna go sack out in your room at the hotel." Chris and Vin still usually got a room with two beds, though they never used the second one. Buck habitually spent most nights with a girl after a competition, but on the nights when he came dragging in at 2 am it made no sense to any of them for Buck to waste the money to get another room just to sleep a few hours. Chris and Vin always behaved themselves pretty well while he was in the room, though he had learned fast to either make himself scarce or turn on the TV if they decided to shower together.

"Go on," Chris agreed. "Take Peso in with you, though. He don't need to sleep in the truck. Just toss our laundry bag on our bed, he'll stay out of your way."

"We should be going too, we've got horses to check on yet," Josiah said, standing up. Chris looked up at him and Josiah moved closer, offering Chris his hand as he added,  "You got my number. Give me a call tomorrow, let me know how Vin is?"

"I will," Chris agreed, standing up and shaking Josiah's hand. "Are you and Nathan planning to ride at Oklahoma City?"

"Lord willin' and the creek don't rise," Josiah replied, grinning and he shook hands with Buck too. "Staying with a friend in Atoka for a few days between now and then, he needs a hand dehorning some calves."

"As long as Josiah's old rattletrap of a truck don't die on us," Nathan added, moving to offer Chris his hand.

Chris shook Nathan's hand with a soft chuckle. "Here's hoping we all make it there." He wasn't sure he would ride, but the more he considered it the more he thought he and Vin should go support Buck at least. He'd have to watch Vin like a hawk the whole time, but he was pretty sure Buck wouldn't go alone and Buck was right at the top of the standings. Maybe he could just ride for the team roping and sit out the rest. His entry fees _were_ already paid, after all.

Nathan shook hands with Buck and then Josiah put his hand on Nathan's shoulder and said cheerfully, "Come on, brother. Redman and Dusty will be wondering where we've been."

"Eatin' a little late won't hurt 'em," Nathan said, smiling at Chris and Buck before he let Josiah usher him out of the waiting room.

Buck looked at Chris, waiting for Chris to meet his gaze before he asked quietly, "You gonna be okay alone, pard? I can stay if you want some company."

"No, go ahead," Chris replied, "the nurse said they'll let me see Vin soon."

"If you're sure," Buck said a bit doubtfully.

Chris rolled his eyes. "I'm sure, I'll be fine. You just take good care of his dog, okay? Don't forget to walk him."

Buck let out a soft huff of a laugh. "I already gave him that steak and walked him, but I'll walk him _again_ before we go in. He's likely as ready for some shut-eye as I am."

"I'm sure he is," Chris said quietly, smiling. "You drive careful, you hear me? You had enough tonight, I want you goin' slow."

"I will, pard." Buck hesitated and then hugged Chris quickly before he pulled away and headed for the door. "Night."

"G'night," Chris replied with a smile, watching him go before he sat back down to wait. Once he was in the room with Vin and could touch him and hear him breathe, Chris was sure he would fall asleep without much trouble, but until then he would be wide awake.

Chris couldn't really sleep alone anymore, not even for a little while.

 

~*~

 

Vin frowned slightly as he started to wake up, confused. Someone was holding his hand, but it wasn't Chris. He tried to pull away as he opened his eyes, blinking a few times and trying to focus only to find a nurse standing next to him scanning the hospital bracelet he was wearing on his left hand. She was tall and blonde with brown eyes and vivid pink scrubs, and he vaguely remembered talking to her before they put him under to fix his busted ribs. She had promised him she'd check on Chris while he was out, make sure he didn't freak out too much.

The nurse noticed him watching her then and smiled, obviously pleased as she said cheerfully, "Well, hello there. It's about time. We expected you to wake up most of an hour ago." She released his arm and moved to a narrow cart she had parked by the bed, pulling out a probe and holding it out towards him as she added, "Open up, I need to take your temperature."

Vin obediently let her put the probe under his tongue, closing his mouth to wait through the five seconds until the machine beeped. He was still feeling kind of vague and confused, but he thought it was probably whatever they gave him to do surgery. His last time stuck in a hospital, he'd spent a lot of time completely out of it at first. What he did remember was mostly the pain every time he tried to move and utter mortification because the nurses wouldn't let him out of bed even to go use the restroom. That time he'd had broken ribs on both sides along with internal damage from being kicked in the stomach and it had taken a depressingly long time for the doctors to decide he could sit up, much less go home.

The machine finally beeped and the nurse took the probe away, and then Vin asked softly, "How's Chris?"

The nurse chuckled, disconnecting the machine on the cart she was using from the blood pressure cuff on his upper left arm. "He's fine, he's been asking about you." She smiled softly at him as she removed the cuff, adding, "He loves you very much."

Vin smiled at that, sure she was right. "Feelin's mutual." He hesitated, then asked, "Why isn't he here?"

"Hospital policy, sweetie," the nurse replied, wrapping the cuff around the bed rail and leaving it there. "He could have been here the whole time if you were a minor in his custody, married, or he had a power of attorney, but otherwise no visitors are allowed after surgery until you regain consciousness and give permission." She smiled warmly at him, moving to straighten his covers slightly as she added, "Which you just did. How are you feeling? Any nausea or pain?"

Vin thought about it a moment and then shook his head. "Not really. Just kinda... floaty?"

The nurse laughed. "That'll be the meds they gave you for surgery. They won't wear off completely for a few hours yet." She patted his hand gently, adding, "Why don't I go get Mr. Larabee? He was getting pretty anxious last I checked on him."

"Please," Vin agreed, relieved. "He won't really believe I'm okay 'till he sees it for himself."

"Of course," she said, smiling wider. "You just relax." She pushed the cart out of the room without another word.

Vin was soon rubbing the light blanket that was covering him between the fingertips of his left hand, wrinkling his nose a bit at the smell of the room. He hated the stomach-churning blend of disinfectants and bleach and something he'd never quite figured out that seemed to be unique to hospitals. It always made him just queasy enough to bother him without him actually getting sick, which set his nerves on edge. That and the unnerving silence of the room combined to make him feel like his own thoughts were too loud in his head. He was used to cheap motels near busy highways and the constant low drone of traffic nearby, or the quiet sounds of night at home on the ranch, not such absolute silence. It made him kind of wish the nurse had turned the television on, even though he hadn't watched anything on television in months.

He noticed how cold he was then and wished for his clothes. They had stripped him down in the ER as soon as the doc decided he needed surgery, and the hospital gown he was wearing was flimsy cotton he'd have bet cash wasn't even as thick as a bandanna. He'd always been one to get cold easy and hospitals seemed to all keep the thermostat low enough he figured you could likely keep meat right out in the halls and it not spoil. If he stayed for very long he'd be shivering, he knew. He was almost to that point already.

It seemed to Vin like it had been ages since the nurse left, but he didn't really have to wait very long before Chris hurried in. Vin smiled at Chris, relieved and unreasoningly glad to see him, sure that he wouldn't be left alone with the silence and cold anymore. "Hey."

Chris didn't say a word, walking straight to the bed to lean over Vin and kiss him first, lingering for a long moment before he pulled away to look into Vin's eyes. "Had me worried, babe," he admitted softly, giving Vin a wry little smile. "The nurses couldn't give me a decent reason why you weren't waking up."

Vin smiled, lifting his left hand to the back of Chris' neck as he said, "'Cause we were up and running at five this mornin' an' I was tired even before I got my ass kicked." Chris chuckled slightly at that and Vin added, "I'm fine. Get back down here."

Chris smiled wider and kissed Vin again, sure it'd do them both a lot more good than arguing about it. Vin finally loosened his grip after a few moments and let Chris pull away a few inches, and Chris was glad to see Vin smiling and looking so like his usual self.

Neither of them noticed the door open again in the shadowed corner of the room as Chris stroked Vin's hair back and asked softly, "Don't your ribs hurt?"

"Right now, nothin' hurts," Vin said with a little grin that made Chris snicker. "Likely won't last though, so I wanna enjoy it while I can." He let go of Chris, scooting to one side in the bed and then reaching for the controls to flatten it out as he added, "Come on, take a load off. There's room for two in this thing, close as we sleep."

Chris smirked and said firmly, "You're _not_ gettin' laid, baby."

"An' neither are you," Vin agreed with that same little grin Chris knew so well. "I ain't ever gonna sleep unless you're next to me, though, and I know I ain't the only one."

Chris admitted, "Yeah, I can't sleep alone anymore either."

"So stop keepin' me awake, cowboy," Vin said easily, smug. "Kill the light an' get your ass over here."

Chris chuckled slightly and kicked off his boots, then reached for the light to turn it off before he sat on the bed next to Vin and swung up his legs, settling comfortably on his back. "Better?"

Vin shifted onto his left side to settle close against Chris' side, then nodded when he felt Chris' right hand settle against his bare back under the hospital gown. "Much better." He kissed Chris' jaw and then laid his head on Chris' shoulder, his right hand on Chris' stomach as he inhaled slowly. He could still smell the hospital but it was just a background note now, almost hidden by the familiar scents of Chris and good honest sweat, arena dust and horses. If he closed his eyes he could almost believe they were in some hotel somewhere, maybe one of the big ones in Vegas like they stayed in for the Finals the year before, buried deep enough in the hotel it had no windows. The eerie silence was gone, filled by the quiet sounds of Chris' heartbeat and the slow steady rise and fall of his breathing, and Vin was already relaxing within a few moments.

Chris could feel the tension melting away out of Vin's back under his hand and he smiled as he kissed Vin's forehead, covering Vin's right hand on his stomach with his left and then resting his cheek against the top of Vin's head and settling down to just enjoy holding him until he could sleep. It wouldn't be long, he knew. It had been a hell of long a day, Vin was right about that. They had started earlier than usual, wanting to get the horses warmed up and taken care of before it got hot out, then ended up staying busy right through the day despite their plan to try and avoid the worst of the heat.

The nurse watched them for a moment longer and then smiled and turned away, closing the door softly behind her. She had returned to ask if Mr. Tanner needed anything, but she saw no point now. He was obviously in good hands.

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

 

2

 

"Seriously?" Vin said, scowling at Jimmy, who had just moved between him and the back door. "You won't even let me go _look_ at them?"

Vin was dressed in his usual flannel shirt, boots, and jeans, his shaggy hair still damp from the shower he had just shared with Chris. He was moving his right arm a bit more carefully than usual to lessen the chance he'd move wrong and bump the healing incision there, but otherwise he felt just fine and he was already tired of being treated like an invalid. It had been three days since the doctor let him out of the hospital and yeah, okay, he wasn't allowed to ride, but he could walk across the yard to the holding corrals by the barn without killing himself, he was very sure. He had already managed to have sex several times, after all. Walking was easy compared to that.

"I know you, son," Jimmy said dryly, not at all worried by Vin's scowl. He wasn't dressed for the day yet, still wearing just his boxers and a sleeveless old John Deere t-shirt, but he had no doubt why Vin was up and dressed before the sun wanting to head outside. There were five mustang mares, a weanling colt, a yearling filly, and a nine year old gelding out by the barn that he'd just gotten home with the night before. Vin had wanted to be out there the moment Jimmy pulled in and had only stayed inside then because Chris practically begged him to. "If I let you go out there with those mustangs, you'll be in the pen with them inside five minutes."

Chris chuckled, hurrying into the kitchen, his belt undone and still buttoning his shirt as he said, "Thanks for trying, Jimmy, but I'll go keep him out of trouble. If nothing else works I'll tie him to a fence post."

"You may _try,_ " Vin said as he gave Chris a dirty look, "but that ain't happening."

Jimmy laughed and moved out of Vin's way to go back to making some coffee, looking at Chris as he pretended not to see how annoyed Vin looked. "Good luck." Vin slammed the door behind him and Jimmy grinned, adding much more quietly to Chris, "He _might_ behave now just to prove me wrong."

Chris grinned at Jimmy. "I wouldn't bet on that if I was you. He was beside himself when I wouldn't take him up to Paul's Valley to help you pick them out." He followed Vin outside, closing the door much quieter than Vin had as Jimmy moved to fill the coffee pot with water, chuckling.

Chris wasn't at all surprised to see Vin already almost to the pens with Peso bouncing along happily next to him while Peso's nearly identical mother, Corona, trotted calmly along at Vin's heels. Jimmy had one of Peso's brothers around somewhere too, though Tecate was hard to see so early in the morning and likely to ignore people most of the time like his sire, Cuervo. Tecate was built and marked like a heavier version of his Blue Heeler sire in mottled shades of grey and black that easily blended into the shadows of early morning before the sun was quite up.

Chris started to tuck his shirt in as he walked quickly after Vin, sure he was going to get an earful before too much longer if he had to stop Vin from doing something he wanted to do again. It had only been a few days since Vin got hurt, but the docs had repaired his busted rib so well that Vin insisted it felt like it was a month healed other than the incision, which still pained him if he moved wrong and pulled the stitches. Vin was already fed up with not being allowed to have any outdoor fun, which in Vin's opinion involved riding, roping, or working with a horse most other people would have been afraid to get within ten feet of. Most of the time that suited Chris just fine, since those were his own favorite hobbies, but with Vin hurt it had made life a little more difficult for them both.

Chris had kept Vin out of trouble the last two days mostly by sticking to him like glue, following Vin around and not letting him do anything more strenuous than brushing Playboy, who would stand like a stone and could be trusted not to bump Vin into a wall for the fun of it like Buck's mare Jo might do. Most of their time had been spent in the house, and since neither of them was really much of a fan of watching television that had led to them lazing around in bed quite a bit. They had both caught up on missed sleep, and they had spent hours kissing and touching in between quiet talks about how they would deal with Vin being injured for most of the rest of the season.

They had appreciated a chance to actually take time just to be together and enjoy it, but Vin's ribs weren't nearly as painful this time as they had been the last time they were broken and Vin saw no reason he couldn't do things as long as he was careful. Chris had been very aware the previous evening that Vin was determined to spend more time outside that day, so Vin rolling out of bed at five hadn't been a surprise. Going out to see the mustangs had been such a given that Chris hadn't even tried to stop him, but he had managed to delay them actually making it outside by following Vin into the shower and reminding them both why they so enjoyed sharing them.

Chris was buckling his belt when he reached the fence where Vin stood on the second rail, watching the eight mustangs who were moving slowly in the big holding pen by the loading chute. It was a stout fence, six feet and change tall and built from heavy two by six boards with an extra board along the top to make sitting on the fence more comfortable. Chris ducked enough to see under the top rail next to Vin, and he smiled when he saw three of the mustangs were about fifteen feet away completely focused on Vin and himself while the others were milling against the far side of the pen, little more than shadows.

Chris didn't need to see them to remember what they all looked like. There were four dun mares, a bay mare, a dun overo colt with a bald face and stockings, a dun appy yearling filly, and a nine year old blue dun gelding. The two foals, the bay, and two of the duns were all from Nevada, caught off the same herd management area south of Vegas out in the high desert, and Jimmy had been warned they were wild as march hares. The other three were from the Little Book Cliffs HMA in Colorado, where they had a lot more exposure to humans and had been running together when they were caught. The two Little Book Cliff mares were even halter broke, though Jimmy had made sure their halters were removed before he hauled them home.

The closest mustang was definitely the gelding, though he held himself so proudly that it was obvious he didn't believe that yet. He stood with his side towards them, his head held high and turned to focus his gaze intently on Vin, motionless in the silvery light of predawn. It was hard to judge his color so early in the morning, but Chris knew he was a dark blue dun with black legs, a thick black mane and tail, and a black mask on his face, a color most called grullo in lighter shades. He wasn't a big horse, Chris was willing to bet he wasn't more than fifteen hands, and he didn't have the stout bulk of a Quarter Horse, but something about him made Chris think he had the potential to be something special anyway.

The two behind the gelding both had the wide, low bellies of broodmares. One was a pale golden dun with more tiger-like striping on her upper legs than Chris had ever seen on a horse, low white socks on her hind feet, a blaze, and a tangled black mane so long it reached her knees. The other mare was a much darker color that made Chris think it was the bay mare at first, but then he noticed the stripe down her back and realized she was just a very dark dun like Victorio. Both mares were built similar to the gelding, though they were smaller and looked a bit more like the Quarter Horses Chris was used to.

Vin whistled suddenly, sounding very like a whipporwill, and the gelding snorted, stomping one front foot hard enough to throw up a puff of dust and flicking his ears back for a moment before they went up again, his gaze never wavering from Vin.

Vin laughed softly and murmured, "Oh yeah. You'll do."

Chris looked up at Vin in surprise to see Vin was grinning, blue eyes bright and sparkling in the slowly brightening light just before dawn, and Chris laughed. "Really, baby?"

Vin stared at the gelding a moment longer and then looked down at Chris, blue eyes still bright above an almost manic grin. "He's so damn _smart_ , Chris. D'you see him standin' so his head's to the wind an' nothin' can sneak up on him from behind the barns, even with him lookin' at me over here? An' them two mares right behind him, watching his back so he could watch me... That ain't no accident. Even if Jimmy's buddy hadn't told us, I'd bet cash money those were his mares when they were caught." He looked back towards the corral, his gaze going right back to the gelding as he added, "He's seen more of people than most mustangs, but he hasn't started to hate yet like Victorio. He _could_ , there's so damn much fight in him he'd _never_ stop if he got pushed too hard, but he's still watchin' and waitin' to see if he's _gotta_ fight us, still willin' to let me show him it don't have to be like that."

"How can you know all that, just looking at him?" Chris asked softly, climbing up to sit on the top rail with his back to the horses, looking at Vin.

Vin shrugged, blushing slightly and looking down, avoiding Chris' eyes. "I just... Sometimes I can look at a horse an' I just _know_." He looked away towards the dark bulk of the mountains in the distance. "It was like that when I found Wildcat. He was standin' off in a pen of sale authority geldings nobody wanted at an adoption in Amarillo the day after I won three events at a rodeo there, and with my prize money and what I had already saved up I had just enough cash on me to buy him and pay a buddy's dad to haul him home for me." He let out a soft little huff of a laugh, looking at the gelding in front of him again. "When I snuck into the pen with those geldings that day most of them started milling around and getting nervy, pushing at the fences, but Wildcat, he just stood his ground and watched me." He pointed into the pen at the gelding. "Just like that." He looked back at Chris, smiling as he moved to throw one leg over the top rail of the fence, sitting next to him. "Took me near a month to get a hand on him, but it was worth every second I spent crouched by his hay talkin' to him and waitin' for him to decide to come to me on his own."

"I'm all for you tamin' this one too," Chris murmured, reaching out to take Vin's hand in his. "Just not today, baby."

Vin gave Chris' hand a squeeze, nodding. "I promise." He shifted closer to Chris as he added, "If you'll help me get him an' those two mares of his settled in that big pen Victorio used to live in between rodeos, we can just let 'em be until the November break. It's set up so nobody'll have to go in with 'em to do feed or water, and they'll have shelter if they want it. A couple months standin' around eatin' won't bother them none."

"Sounds good," Chris agreed, relieved and smiling.

Vin snorted softly, just looking at Chris a moment before he said, "You really do think I'm an idiot."

Chris blinked, confused by the sudden subject change. "Do what now?"

"You thought I'd come out here an' do somethin' stupid," Vin explained. "Like tryin' to wrestle a mustang that was just gelded last week when I got a dozen staples in my side over _busted ribs_."

"We both know you want to," Chris pointed out, bemused. "And you've reminded me twice this mornin' that they aren't botherin' you."

Vin grinned suddenly. "I _want_ a lot of things. Right now I'd just plain _love_ bendin' you over in the tack room an' fuckin' you silly, but I ain't gonna do it. Even if I could get you on board, with my luck Buck'd walk in on us and die of shock on the spot."

Chris laughed, blushing as he lifted his free hand to rub his face, looking away towards the house. "Might could be arranged somewhere with a lockin' door, but yeah. Not the tack room."

Vin leaned closer to Chris, grinning more wickedly. "Y'know, you might not wanna offer that if you ain't serious."

Chris looked at Vin, grinning too even though he was still blushing. "You ain't exactly asked before."

"Figured you'd bring it up if you ever decided it was somethin' you wanted," Vin admitted, his wicked grin fading into something a bit more serious. "Ain't like it's somethin' I _need_ , just... I want you any way I can get you." He let out a soft little huff of a laugh. " _Every_ way."

Chris leaned to kiss Vin, slow and easy, then pulled away just enough to smirk at him. "Sounds like that hotel room in OKC is gonna be... interesting."

Vin stared into Chris' eyes a moment and then kissed him again, both of them grinning. They didn't do a whole lot at home because their tiny bedroom was too close to Jimmy and Buck's rooms to really be private. They could easily hear Buck's snoring at night and Jimmy's tendency to talk in his sleep sometimes so they were very aware that the others could surely hear what went on in their room just as easily. They always had sex in near silence at home whether in bed or in the shower, usually keeping things quiet by going slow and easy, which had come in handy since Vin was hurt.

Away from home they didn't feel the same need to behave themselves, though. Hotels were the one place where they could just let go and enjoy themselves, and they did every time they got a chance. Their neighbors had banged on the wall more than once and one memorable night in Nebraska a hotel had even added a fairly hefty nuisance charge to their bill, but they didn't really care.

One of the many things they agreed on was that life was far too short to let anyone else tell them how they should live it.

 

~*~

 

Vin was sitting right at the edge of the arena in the tenth seat over from the door at the end of the bleachers that led down a short stairway to the pens, watching the gate in the back of the heeler's box and waiting as patiently he could. He'd picked the tenth seat because it let him be close enough to see and hear what was going on in the heeler's box, but he was out in front of the roping boxes by enough that he could see into the header's box past the calf chute, too. The first calf had already been loaded and the announcer had just said the next event would be starting in a few minutes, so Vin expected Chris and Buck to ride into the arena at any moment.

There would be two full go-arounds that day but the stands weren't even half full yet, the arena itself also empty except for a few cowboys on foot who were crossing from the rough stock end of the arena to the roping boxes. The facility was air conditioned and had been designed with the holding pens all outside the main arena so competitors would be coming in mounted just long enough for their runs and then sent out again. Buck and Chris had drawn first run in the afternoon go-round of team roping, which neither of them particularly liked, but at least they'd get to watch some of the other runs.

Vin would have preferred to be back behind the arena with Chris and Buck just then helping them deal with Jo, who was always nervy when it came time to compete, but he hadn't even gone out to the pens that day. Chris had promised he would give up competing altogether until Vin healed up if Vin tried to do _anything_ , and Vin didn't want that to happen because it would knock Chris _and_ Buck out of the overall standings. They were both well on their way to riding in the Finals again that year and Vin thought there was a good chance of one of them taking home a gold buckle as world champion in at least one event if not as all-around cowboy, and he didn't want them both to miss out on most of the rest of the season just because he managed to get hurt.

Someone suddenly stepped over the back of the seat next to him and Vin hardly had a chance to even look up before Charlie was taking a seat on his knees. "Hey baby!"

Vin laughed slightly, blushing as he held his hands out to the sides. "Uhm. Hi?"

Charlie was wearing a tight little camo tank top and faded jeans full of holes that looked painted on with the world champion barrel racer buckle she won a dozen years ago and battered old cowboy boots that looked like they had walked through all the dust in Texas twice, but that wasn't Vin's problem. She could have been dressed as prim and proper as a nun and Vin still wouldn't have known where he was expected to put his hands. He just didn't touch women much, never had except that one weekend on the Bunny Ranch, and the way Charlie liked to catch him by surprise and storm him sure didn't help.

Charlie grinned and twirled a lock of Vin's hair around her finger, careful of his ribs as she shifted to get more comfortable on his lap leaning against his left shoulder. "A little birdie told me you'd be lonely today, so I thought I'd come sit with you."

"I can't _believe_ he really called you," Vin muttered, still blushing. Chris had threatened to have Charlie come keep him out of trouble, but Vin had thought he convinced Chris it wasn't necessary when he promised to behave himself. He hadn't gone any closer to the pens than the spot he had chosen in the stands right next to the roping chutes so he could at least watch, and still Charlie had just tackled him out of nowhere.

"If you mean Chris, he didn't," Charlie said cheerfully, smirking. "It was Bucky. He told me you got hurt and he was afraid you'd do too much and make it worse, so he wanted me to come ride herd on you. He even bought me a plane ticket." She paused, then added, "And this isn't a stick-up, y'know. You can put your hands down."

Someone nearby behind them snickered, and Vin blushed darker as he decided to put one hand on her waist and the other on her knee. If she didn't like it she would say so, he was sure, and both places were neutral enough he didn't feel like he was taking liberties. "Buck is a dead man walkin'."

"Poor baby, am I mistreatin' you that bad?" Charlie asked teasingly, taking off Vin's hat to drop it on her own head and then running her fingers through his hair. It fell in soft waves well past his collar and she loved to play with it every chance she got. Chris was the same way, though no one but Vin knew it, which was why Vin hadn't cut his hair in most of a year.

Vin snorted, trying not to let her see he was starting to be amused too. "You know the answer to that." He leaned to the side to look past her at the aisle along the front of the bleachers between him and the arena fence, where Peso was sprawled watching them with a wide doggy grin. "And you are so not eatin' a steak tonight, you mutt. It's your job to _tell me_ when somebody's sneakin' up behind me."

Peso thwacked his tail on the concrete floor a couple of times as a man behind Vin and to his left suddenly said, "Girl, why are you even tryin' to hit on Larabee's pet bronc rider anyway? Everybody knows he's into dick, not chicks."

Vin turned his head to look towards the voice, looking back towards the arena with a frown as soon as he recognized the guy. Vin had history with Gary Kline that stretched all the way back to high school and he tried very hard to avoid the guy completely, so it bothered him to realize the guy had sat down just two rows away from him without Vin noticing it. Kline had surely noticed Vin when he chose where to sit, there just weren't many people sitting so close to the roping boxes, which meant he was likely there to cause trouble.

Kline was little more than a meathead, relying on his strength to get him through events rather than on talent or hard work, and he was an asshole that few liked or wanted around. Kline was an incompetent rider at best and a simply _horrible_ roper, which explained why he was in the stands instead of in the locker room underneath or out behind the arena with most everyone else who was competing.

The day had started with bareback broncs, which had just finished, and Vin had never seen Kline ride a bronc yet. Team roping was up next and then the tie-down roping and calf roping were both up before the steer wrestling, which Kline did compete in when he could afford it. Bull riding was the only other event Kline competed in regularly, but it would be the last event of the go-round, after they did the saddlebroncs and then the ladies took over the arena long enough to run barrels.  After bull riding, there would be an hour break and then the evening go-round would start up, repeating it all. That particular rodeo was paying out several ways in an attempt to draw more top riders, giving out day money both days in each event, then paying the top three two-day average winners in each event and giving out extra prizes for the top three all-around cowboys.

"Go to Hell, Kline," Charlie said, giving Kline a cold look. "You just wish I wanted to be this close to _you_."

Peso stood up then and put his front paws up into the seat next to Vin's, looking intently at Kline over the back of the seat with a brief, quiet rumble that wasn't quite a growl. Vin knew Peso was responding to Vin's own reaction to Kline, and he tried a little harder to stifle the unease he felt at realizing the guy was so close to him. Peso had been especially protective of Vin since the fight in Mesquite and was much less tolerant of people who seemed aggressive than he had been before. It surely didn't help that Chris had told Peso to guard Vin before they parted earlier. Even though Vin had told the dog to relax since then, he was sure Peso was going to protect him if he thought Vin needed it.

"Tanner, you better keep that mutt under control," Kline said more sharply, frowning as he shifted uneasily in his seat and stared at Peso. "How'd you even get him in here anyhow? I know he ain't no damn _service dog_ like that mutt of Gunderson's."

Vin snorted, not even bothering to look at Kline. Jake Gunderson had been paralyzed by a bull and was in a wheelchair because of it, always accompanied by a huge black Lab named Kitty who pulled the chair for him when he was tired and retrieved things he dropped. "Frankie's known Peso since he was a pup, he said he can go anywhere I do."

Frankie Michaels was in charge of that weekend's event, an old friend of Jimmy's who always spent some time petting Peso when he got a chance. Frankie had asked Vin just that morning to let him know if they ever got any pups from Peso, and he had tried offering outrageous sums for Peso himself in the past. He could have picked up a Pit puppy anywhere for free or nearly so, even a big black one, but he wanted a dog like Peso who _looked_ Pit but had the brains and focus of a stockdog. Purebred Pits tended towards goofy, fun-loving temperaments unless someone worked at making them mean, and not many of them had the intense work ethic of a stockdog. Peso had the best of both, a sweet friendly temperament in a dog who knew that when he was working he had to _really_ work.

"Peso's better behaved than you are, Kline," Charlie added, reaching over to pat Peso's muscular shoulder. Peso looked at her, wagging his tail, then turned his attention back to watching Kline. "Better lookin', too."

Kline scowled. "Fuck you, bitch. No one asked you."

Peso growled at the tone, his stance changing from merely watching to an intense stare.

"If you have the sense God gave a rock, Kline, you'll go find somewhere else to sit," one of the men sitting a few seats to Vin's right said. "Ain't nobody here want to listen to your shit, boy."

Vin knew who it was even before he looked, he had seen the three men sit down not long after he moved there at the end of the bronc riding. The one who had spoken was Clyde Smithers, a stock contractor in his mid sixties who was tough as old shoe leather and made a living out of providing calves and steers for the circuit. He was a lifelong cattleman from Montana who made enough off the rodeo circuit to keep his family ranch running no matter how rough the year was on the rest of the beef industry. He was making money off his calves by working them for calf roping, then he'd keep the steers on to run for the heavier cattle events until they got too big. He took them home and turned them out on pasture for a while after that and then sold them as grass-fed beef on the hoof, nearly doubling the profit he'd have made off each steer if he just left them in a pasture to grow.

Vin didn't know the two men in the stands beyond Clyde, but they were muttering to each other and watching Kline. Vin could only make out a word here and there, but he caught the words 'all hat' from one and then 'troublemaker' from the other clear as a bell, and from how flushed Kline's face was when Vin looked back at him again, he was sure Kline had heard them too.

"That dog can tear you up in a heartbeat," Clyde added pointedly, "and half the men riding today will testify Peso won't hurt _nobody_ unless you start it by botherin' his master." He snorted. "And most of us like him a lot more 'n we like you." He paused slightly and added, "Vin, I mean. Pretty sure _everyone_ likes Peso more."

Kline glared at Clyde and said, "Shut up, old man! It's a free country, I can sit where I want!"

Peso growled louder, baring his teeth, and Vin was about to reach for him when a very familiar voice from the direction of the arena fence said, "Carry your ass, Kline. Now." Vin looked towards the arena, surprised to see Chris and Buck trotting towards him on their horses, both looking annoyed. "You don't want me comin' up there," Chris added, green eyes narrow and hard. "I'll have a lot more fun kickin' your sorry ass than Peso would. He don't like chewin' on _trash_ like you."

Kline lunged to his feet and Peso snarled, not moving despite his threatening behavior.

Kline gave the dog a wary look, still obviously pissed, then turned away to head towards the door at the end of the bleachers. "Ah, fuck all y'all. I don't need this shit!"

Peso relaxed as soon as Kline was through the door, tail wagging as he turned his attention to Chris.

"Good dog," Chris said, and Vin looked back at him in time to see Chris was obviously pleased. "Guard."

Peso climbed up into the seat next to Vin and sat down, and Charlie laughed. "How does he know who to guard you from?" she asked, looking at Vin. "He just _watched_ when I snuck up on you."

"He knows you're family," Chris said before Vin could reply, shifting slightly in his saddle and smiling at Charlie when she and Vin looked at him. "Peso only steps in with folks he don't like."

"Or that he knows mean Vin harm," Clyde pointed out, making Vin look towards Clyde as his eyes widened a bit. He gave a tiny little shake of his head but Clyde didn't see it, looking at Chris instead as he added, "That Kline fellah has gone after Vin before at least once I'm sure of." He looked at Vin again, adding, "And I wouldn't be surprised to hear he was in on that thing after the Finals a few years back."

"That wasn't Kline," Vin said quickly as he looked at Chris, but he could feel his face flushing. Chris frowned and his eyes narrowed, obviously not believing that, and Vin knew he had to explain a bit more. "He saw me after I got the shit kicked out of me and added a little insult to injury, but it wasn't him beat me up so bad." Vin had already been hurt badly before Kline had found Vin laying in the alleyway and gave Vin a kick on his way by, so it was true, mostly. The kick Kline gave him certainly hadn't helped, but Vin was already so hurt by then he wasn't sure it really made it that much worse, either.

"I thought a can chaser was the one who found you," Chris said, still frowning. "Shawna. Rides that little silver bay mare."

"Shawna was the one who decided to _help_ ," Vin corrected, watching Chris closely. "She called 911 and stayed with me until the ambulance got there."

"People saw you layin' in the alley between pens beat near to death an' just _left you there_?" Buck blurted, shocked.

"A couple," Vin admitted. "Well, I think they saw me, it _was_ pretty dark. I saw them go by. I know Kline saw me, he made sure to stop long enough to ask me who did it, said he wanted to buy the guy a beer."

Chris scowled, looking away across the arena. "Shoulda let Peso kill him."

"Peso wouldn't kill him," Vin said quickly, not wanting anyone in the stands nearby to think that was even a possibility. "Worst he'd have done is scare Kline. The guy don't have the guts not to run if Peso really went for him, and Peso won't hurt nobody tryin' to run from him."

Chris looked back at Vin, meeting his gaze as he said firmly, "Then I shoulda done it."

"You ain't allowed," Vin said just as firmly, making Chris' eyebrows both rise as Buck let out a surprised little laugh. Charlie giggled at the look on Chris' face while Vin added quickly, "You even _think_ too hard on it an' I'll be on a bronc before you can catch me, Larabee. Count on it."

Chris just stared at Vin a long moment and then laughed, turning Playboy away to head him towards the heeler's box. It annoyed him a bit that Vin had manipulated him so obviously in public, but he couldn't help be amused by it, too. He knew Vin was completely serious in his threat to find a bronc if Chris pushed him too far, just like Chris knew that as long as he _didn't_ push him, Vin would behave himself. "We doin' this thing or not, Dave?" Chris called as he walked Playboy back towards the roping boxes.

"Waitin' on you and your shadow!" Dave called back from his seat above the calf chute. He was the man on the button to release the calf that week, and he'd been keeping an eye on things since he saw Kline sit down so close to Vin. Dave knew and liked Vin, and he had been the one to make sure Chris noticed Kline was harassing him when Chris rode into the arena. Dave had seen it the last time Kline and Vin tangled, a fight over Kline trying to beat a borrowed roping horse, and he was sure it was no coincidence Kline suddenly wanted to harass Vin right after word went around Vin had busted some ribs.

"Get your ass in gear, Bucklin!" Chris said, not looking back towards where Vin was sitting as he turned Playboy into the box and then started to shake out his rope and build a loop.

"Looks like our first team ropers are just about ready!" the announcer said over the arena speakers then, sounding pleased. "You're all in for a treat if this run goes anything like their last run here. Wilmington and Larabee had the fastest time by over three seconds last year, finishing with one of the best times I've ever seen here, a four point five. Let's all wish 'em good luck on this run!"

The crowd cheered as Tell Jansen closed the thin spring-loaded barrier across the heeler's box in front of Chris and Playboy and then moved quickly across the front of the calf chute to the header's box. Chris tucked his loop under his arm and backed Playboy into the corner of the heeler's box next to the gate. The stocky black stallion backed right up to the padded back wall and then stood motionless in the box, head high and watching the calf in the chute and waiting for the signal to go.

Chris glanced up at Vin in the stands then and Vin winked at him, making Chris smirk slightly as he looked back towards the calf chute. Vin could tell him where to go and make him like it, yeah, but he had still gotten the best of the deal. He got Vin.

Buck already had his rope out and ready so all he had to do was get Jo in the box and standing quiet while Tell pulled the barrier across, but Jo never went in ready to get to work like Playboy had done. Sure enough, the moment she was in the box and turned around the big grey mare bolted, popping the barrier. Buck wrestled her around and back into the box, cussing her under his breath and wishing Vin could be there to help like he usually was, and then Josiah stepped through the gate in the back of the header's box.

"Looks like you need a hand, brother!" Josiah said cheerfully as he grabbed Jo's tie-down. Jo half-reared, trying to jerk free, but Josiah just hauled her down and put a hand on her nose, forcing her to bring her head down and take a step back.

"Thanks!" Buck said quickly, relieved to have Josiah's help to muscle Jo back into the corner of the box while Tell put the barrier up a second time. Jo fought Buck and Josiah for a few more moments before she finally gave in and stood still, and then Josiah was stepping back and Buck was nodding to Dave as he said quickly, "Let 'er rip!"

The calf burst out of the chute almost immediately, a string looped around its neck that was fastened to the hooks that held the barriers. The string jerked and released the barriers, making them spring away from the calf chute just as Jo reached the one on her side, and Buck brought his loop up and was getting ready to throw by the time Jo was a body-length out of the box. Buck whipped the loop over his head just once and then threw it right over the calf's horns and jerked it tight, a perfect throw, then hauled Jo around as he dallied the rope to turn the calf while Chris and Playboy moved in close behind it. Chris neatly roped the calf by the hind feet a moment later and then everyone in the stands cheered as the calf toppled to the arena sand.

"Four point seven seconds," the announcer said, sounding surprised. "And there are no flags, ladies and gentlemen, they got out clean!"

Chris flipped his rope and loosened it off the calf's hind legs, letting the calf lunge to its feet, and then Buck started for the gate in the back of the header's box with the calf in tow.

"What a way to start the go-round!" the announcer went on. "That's barely a second off the _world record_ time, only half a second from setting an arena record here!"

Buck guided Jo out of the gate with the calf, Chris and Playboy right behind them as Chris gathered up his rope with both hands, reins dropped on Playboy's neck. Playboy knew his job almost as well as his rider and would follow Jo through anything so Chris didn't even look where they were going as he concentrated on keeping his rope away from Playboy's feet and reeled it in.

"That was Buck Wilmington heading on his mare Doc's Okie Jo and Chris Larabee on heels with his stallion Smart Lil' Playboy, two of the top AQHA working cowhorses in the country. You can bet you'll be seeing them all in Vegas come December, they are _on fire_ this season!"

Two more cowboys rode in through the gate in the back of the heeler's box and then the announcer quickly started to introduce them, but Vin tuned it out as he looked at Charlie, who was still sitting in his lap. "I _knew_ they'd ride in the money here," Vin murmured with a grin. "They always do in this arena."

"They'll probably take the top two spots in the average, they have before," Charlie agreed, smiling. "Chris likely wouldn't have come without knowing I was flying in to keep an eye on you for him, though."

"I know," Vin admitted. "Thanks." He impulsively kissed Charlie's cheek, and he was surprised by how she blushed and looked embarrassed. "All the times you've stormed me an' _that_ makes you pink up?"

Charlie swatted Vin's arm, still embarrassed but amused too as she muttered, "Oh, shut up."

Vin snickered and looked towards the arena as the next team's header missed his throw, making him have to quickly reel his rope in to try again.

Charlie shifted in Vin's lap, careful not to lean against his ribs as she got comfortable and then leaning her cheek against his hair as she murmured, "You _do_ know I'm not really hitting on you, right?"

"Yeah," Vin replied quietly, amused. "I'd work harder to avoid you if I thought you was tryin' to get in my pants." The header in the arena missed a second time and Vin added, "Shame he couldn't get at least a head shot."

"Yeah, but Tony always misses more than he catches when he borrows a horse," Charlie said, smiling. "He's too used to that push-button old gelding of his getting him in position on autopilot. And you don't need to avoid me." She moved one hand to tug at his hair, adding teasingly, "Far as I'm concerned you're my baby brother and pickin' on you is my job."

Vin snorted softly. "Buck says the same damn thing. Usually right after he's pulled some prank on me."

Charlie snickered and patted his chest. "I promise not to prank you unless you deserve it."

"Yeah, but who gets to decide I deserved it?" Vin asked dryly, watching the next horse and rider walk out of the gate in the heeler's box into the arena and grinning as he recognized them.

Josiah was on a big black leopard appaloosa that ambled out of the heeling box and turned to go into the header's box with none of the excitement so many roping horses showed on entering the arena. The appy obediently turned and then backed into the padded corner further from the calf chute and stood still, yawning widely while Josiah shook out his rope and prepared a loop.

Charlie giggled. "Josiah's horse looks like he's gonna fall asleep."

"He might, if Nate and Dusty give him long enough," Vin agreed with a grin. "Nothin' excites Redman."

Nathan was having a bit of trouble with his stocky bay gelding, who acted more like a typical rope horse. Dusty was fidgeting and trying to leap forwards out of the box even though the calf was still in the chute, and Vin was just about to yell for someone to give him a hand when Chris stepped through the gate in the back of the heeler's box. Chris moved to grab Dusty's tie-down, giving the bay a light slap on the shoulder with his other hand when Dusty threw his head to try to get away. Tell Jansen hurried to get the barrier up, having already finished with Josiah's side, and then nodded to Nathan.

Dusty had let himself be wrestled back into the corner and was finally standing still as Nathan called, "Ready when you are, Josiah!"

Chris let go of Dusty and stepped away quickly, and then Josiah was nodding to Dave on the calf chute and the calf was springing out a moment later. Redman was right on the calf's heels an instant after the barrier popped, ears pinned back as he stretched out to catch the calf, and after several jumps Josiah had no problem dropping a loop on the calf's horns. Josiah wrapped his rope around the saddle horn and hauled the calf into an easy arc, and Nathan swung his loop a few times before he went for a catch, just barely making it.

"Looks like it'll be a five-seven for Sanchez and Jackson, putting them in second place so far this go around," the announcer said, sounding cheerful. "Give 'em a hand!"

The crowd cheered and Josiah looked back with a wide grin, lifting one hand to wave before he looked towards the exit gate in the back of the header's box, already trotting Redman towards it with the calf following along on a loose rope. Dusty had his ears pinned and head held low as he watched the calf and followed right behind it even though Nathan was holding him back with one hand while he gathered his rope with the other. Dusty was the type of working cowhorse who would have bitten the calf if he were given half a chance, but Nathan knew the gelding well enough to keep him from getting that close.

The next pair hadn't yet entered the arena through the heeler's box, so there was really nothing to watch for a moment. Charlie looked at Vin, asking quietly, "What'd you decide to name that mustang of yours?"

Vin grinned as he thought about the grullo dun that was waiting for him at home. He had talked Jimmy into letting him keep both of the recently gelded horse's mares up with him instead of putting them out on pasture, which was no loss for Jimmy since both mares were already in foal for next spring. Vin could hardly wait to see the foals and he'd already told Jimmy that he was keeping them both. Vin was sure he could turn the grullo into a roping horse, Wildcat had been from the same herd management area and was pretty spectacular, but he couldn't wait to see just what he could do with a Little Book Cliffs mustang if he was allowed to hand raise it from birth.

"Earth to Vin," Charlie said teasingly, poking his shoulder. "You awake in there?"

Vin blinked and laughed slightly, looking at Charlie. "Yeah, I am, I was just thinkin' about him and his mares. And I haven't named him yet, I haven't messed with him at all. It made Chris nervous, me gettin' near him with my ribs busted up."

"With good reason," Charlie pointed out with a soft laugh. "We all know how you are with a mustang who's never been rode."

Vin grinned at her. "Yeah, but I'm crazy, not stupid."

"Sure couldn't prove it by me sometimes," Chris said easily, making Vin and Charlie both look up in surprise. Chris was walking towards them from the door at the end of the aisle, and he smirked at them as he added, "You won't hardly have time to get that blue dun started before next season, but I bet you end up gettin' thrown a few dozen times anyway."

Charlie giggled. "At least!"

Vin grinned, tilting his head slightly. "Blue might be a good name for him, or maybe Slate?"

Chris laughed, going with the change of subject even though he wasn't fooled. "He's cold as stone, for sure. Nothin' scared him that I saw." He stopped next to Vin and Charlie in front of the chair where Peso was sitting, and Peso jumped up to put his paws on Chris' shoulders and lick happily at his chin and jaw. Chris just chuckled and rubbed Peso's sides, oblivious to the fact that from a distance it looked a bit like Peso was grabbing him by the throat. Peso had greeted him the same way pretty often and Chris knew it was just an indication of how much the dog liked him. Peso didn't do it with Buck or even Jimmy, but he greeted Vin and Chris that way anytime they had been away from him for a while if they let him.

"I'll have to keep thinkin' on it," Vin said, grinning as he watched Chris and Peso.

Chris grinned at Vin past Peso, then looked at the dog and said quietly, "Alright, you got your kiss hello, mutt. Down."

Peso didn't argue, dropping back down into the seat he stood in and then jumping down into the floor, tail wagging happily as he moved to let Chris sit down in his spot.

Chris settled comfortably with his shoulder against Vin's, giving him a grin as he murmured, "I'd tell you hello the same way, baby, but it's Oklahoma. Folks might riot."

Vin laughed, blushing. "Yeah, best not."

"Sometimes cowboys are a real pain in the ass," Charlie said firmly, making Chris laugh softly. She smiled at him, asking, "Where's Bucky?"

"Fightin' with Jo," Chris replied easily. "She's comin' in again and bein' a real bitch about it. He was gonna go try and run some of the hormones off."

"That's not going to work," Charlie said with a grin.

"Nope, never does," Chris agreed with a grin of his own, "but if he tires her out some she'll stop trying to bolt on him at least."

"I still say he needs a new ropin' horse so he can retire her to bein' a broodmare before she's too old," Vin said, amused. "He talks about wantin' foals from her and Playboy, but she's already thirteen an' ain't gonna get no younger."

"I know, I've been tellin' him the same for three years now," Chris agreed, nodding. "When we started out on the circuit she an' Playboy were both just three, and we planned then to retire her at ten to be a broodmare. He used to say he couldn't 'cause there was nowhere he felt safe leavin' her behind, but she'd be fine with Jimmy. I tried talkin' to him about it when Robards was trying to help his uncle sell that gelding who made it to Nationals in working cowhorse, but Buck wouldn't hear of even lookin' at the horse."

"He's looking into doing embryo transfer," Charlie said, making Chris and Vin both look at her in surprise. "Then he could breed her and still compete on her, but it costs an arm and a leg so he's still thinkin' on it. He could buy a good cow horse for what it'd cost to buy a brood mare and do the whole embryo transfer thing just once and there's no guarantees it'll work, but it'd let him keep going with Jo. He figures he'd lose out on enough prize money while he was training a new horse that it'd make the embryo thing worth it."

"It might," Chris agreed, still surprised. "Unless he buys a National-caliber horse, it's gonna take a few months to get a new one finished."

"It might the best thing for Jo, too," Vin added, making Chris look at him. "Foaling at her age could be rough if she turns out not to be a good broodmare, especially as stocky as she and Playboy are. That foal's sure to be built like a tank."

"Maybe we could find him a draft mare for the transfer," Chris said slowly. "Wouldn't be hard to do, there's always a few on the feedlots waitin' on a ride to Mexico."

Vin smiled. "I like that plan. Get him a broody to carry that foal he's been wantin' and save a life, too."

"Christmas is comin' up soon," Chris pointed out, smiling at Vin. "Couple months is plenty of time to find the right mare."

Vin grinned back. "I do like the way you think."

Chris smirked. "Of course you do."

Charlie just grinned, pleased and smug. She'd been waiting for the right time to tell Chris and Vin about the embryo transfer thing and get them on board with the idea. Buck was still dragging his feet on it, but she was sure it was the best thing for all concerned if Buck wanted foals from Jo.

That's why she had given Buck the idea.

 

~*~

 

"I hate this part," Vin muttered, watching Chris start to climb into the chute over a big brindle bull called Widowmaker.

It was the final round of the event, and Chris had been in the top spot overall going into the bull riding with Josiah about ten points behind him, followed by a local man named Calhoun and then Buck. Buck had been in the lead until he got a low score on his bareback bronc, but the standings could change quickly again with three of the top four still left to ride. If Buck rode his bull and the others ahead of him didn't, he'd take first, but if he didn't ride his bull and they all did he'd drop back out of the money to fifth place. If Chris stayed on his bull, he was far enough ahead he would take the average whether the last three men rode or not and win the horse trailer and ten thousand dollars, but if he didn't ride the bull it would all depend on the others. Calhoun had already been thrown and might be out of the money, but if nobody else rode their bulls - which was possible, the bulls had won the night before and no one had made the buzzer - the standings could stay where they were going in.

Vin and Charlie had been watching from the stands since the early go-around that afternoon, and had moved when the roping was over to sit near the rough stock end of the arena far enough out from the chutes to see them all. Chris was in the third one over, right next to the center exit gate, and would be the next one to ride with three cowboys on the far side of the center gate left to go after that. Next to ride after Chris was Tell Jansen, who hadn't ridden his bull in the early go-round and was just hoping to win the round, then Josiah was up. Buck had drawn the very last ride of the night.

Charlie reached over to take Vin's left hand in hers. "He'll be fine."

"Probably," Vin agreed, holding tight to her hand as he watched Buck lean over the chute to help Chris with his rope. "I'd still feel a lot better if I was the one makin' sure his rope was right an' tight, though."

"Buck's got it, sweetie," Charlie said with a little smile, holding Vin's hand in hers and rubbing over his knuckles with her other hand. "You know he'd _never_ let anything happen to Chris."

"I know, but still," Vin muttered.

Chris nodded then and the chute burst open for Widowmaker to leap out, already kicking and spinning while Chris held on tight, his free hand waving as his body whipped forward and back with every jump. Charlie could tell Chris had the bull well in hand by the time he was halfway through the ride, but Vin still held on tight enough to make her hand ache until after the buzzer had sounded and Chris was safe on the ground. Vin finally let go of Charlie as the two pickup riders in the arena hazed Widowmaker to the center gate and out, leaving Chris to pick up his bull rope and then walk across the arena towards where his hat landed.

"See? He's fine," Charlie said, looking at Vin.

Vin ignored her as he whistled, sharp and loud, and people around them looked at Vin in surprise as Peso sat up and moved to lay his head on Vin's knee. Chris looked towards them too, recognizing Vin's whistle and grinning wide and happy, and Vin tipped his hat to Chris with a smirk.

Chris laughed and continued on towards his hat as the announcer said, "Give that cowboy a big hand, everyone. That eighty-nine point ride might not take this round, but it just won Chris Larabee the all-around!"

The crowd cheered as Vin finally looked at Charlie again, grinning and absently reaching for Peso to pet him. "You and Buck might want to switch rooms tonight if he doesn't end up with some buckle bunny. He'll _hate_ being next door to us."

Charlie snickered. "Buck already heard more than he wanted to last night. He ended up sleeping with me."

"Oh really?" Vin asked, smirking at her. "I thought you weren't gonna do that anymore, somethin' about bein' too good to only be his girl when you two happen to be in the same town?"

Charlie giggled even though she blushed a bit. "Sweetie, when Buck Wilmington knocks on my door at three in the morning in his shorts beggin' me to protect him from his 'pard' getting laid, I'm _always_ gonna let him in."

The next bull rider was announced, and Vin and Charlie both looked towards the arena just in time to see Tell Jansen lose his rope and then hit the dirt only about twenty feet from the chute. The bull immediately headed for the gate, more interested in the feed that would be waiting for him than in chasing Tell or the bullfighters, and Vin looked back at Charlie.

Charlie smirked and added, "After I stopped laughing, Buck told me just enough of why he bolted to make it plain one of you said or did something that made poor Bucklin think Chris was catching and broke his little brain."

Vin laughed even though he blushed. "We didn't know Buck was there! Last he told us, he was gonna hook up with that girl who won the barrel racin' last night."

"Mikayla," Charlie agreed, nodding. "Problem is, Mikayla's boyfriend from back home texted her just after they got to her hotel to congratulate her because he saw her ride on Youtube. She thought it was so sweet that he hunted down her run that she gave Buck the brush-off to Skype with her boyfriend instead. Buck had to catch a cab back here."

Vin snickered. "Buck has been having _horrible_ luck with girls the last few weeks."

"I know, he told me last night," Charlie agreed with a grin. "After he stopped freaking out about Chris." She leaned closer to Vin, grinning more wickedly. " _Was_ he catching?"

Vin laughed, blushing more than before as he looked away across the arena towards where Nathan was helping Josiah get his bull rope set. "I ain't even gonna touch answerin' that. No matter what I say you're gonna get me in trouble."

Charlie laughed. "Aww, come on! You can tell me. I promise not to tell."

The chute opened and Josiah's bull leaped out, bellowing as it leaped and kicked, and Vin had to laugh at the wide happy grin on Josiah's face as he easily rode the bull all the way to the buzzer. Josiah reached down for the tail of his rope and tugged it free, holding onto it tightly for a moment before he let it go and let the bull throw him clear. The bull instantly tried to turn back after him, but the bullfighters were right there ready to turn the bull away and then the pickup men were herding the bull out while Josiah moved to pick up his rope.

"Y'all make some noise for Josiah Sanchez! He just scored a ninety point ride to take the lead in this round and secure second in the all-around!"

The crowd cheered and Josiah raised a hand to them, grinning as he walked towards the chutes with his bull rope over his shoulder.

"Last to ride tonight will be Buck Wilmington," the announcer said, making Vin look towards the chute where Chris was helping Buck get his rope set. They paused and Buck waved his free hand to the crowd, making them cheer, then the announcer went on. "That tall drink of water getting cinched down tight on Midnight McCreedy is an Oklahoma native and one of the top cowboys here tonight so let's all give him a big hand!"

The crowd cheered even more as Chris gave Buck's back a firm slap and then pulled back away from the chute, and then Buck was nodding and the chute gate was springing open. Midnight McCreedy was a long-bodied bull and he looked to Vin like he was twice the size Josiah's bull had been, rearing up so high when he leapt up and out of the chute that it looked like he could nearly fly. When the bull's front feet hit the ground again he immediately turned, leaping high and kicking with every jump as he spun right in front of the chutes while the crowd cheered.

The buzzer finally went off after what seemed like at least ten seconds to Vin, and then Buck went flying to hit the open chute gate with a resounding clang that made the crowd suddenly fall silent as Chris jumped over the back of the open chute and ran to Buck. Charlie let out a little pained noise and grabbed Vin's hand, and they both held on tight while the bullfighters rushed Midnight McCreedy out of the arena and the crowd watched in silence.

There were so many cowboys crowding in around Buck that Vin and Charlie couldn't see anything but his feet, which had moved once and then were still, and waiting through the next minute seemed like forever. Chris finally stood and looked up towards them and gave a little nod, and they both went weak with relief as the announcer said, "Word we're getting is it looks like he's okay, folks, but he's gonna get hauled out and checked over by Doc Tandy and the medical team just in case. Let's all give Buck a big hand, he earned a ninety-two on that ride and won this go-round, which moved him up to take third overall!"

The crowd began to cheer and applaud even louder than they had before, but Vin was already on his feet, moving towards the arena wall without a word. Doc Tandy was sure to want Buck to have x-rays after a hit that hard, which meant a trip to the hospital.

"Vin, don't you dare!" Charlie blurted as soon as she realized what he was going to do.

Vin pretended not to hear her, stepping onto the rail and then leaping down to the ground despite the fact it was a seven foot drop, his right arm tucked tight around his ribs to protect them. The impact made him wince, jarring his side hard enough to hurt, but it wasn't bad and Vin looked back at Charlie once he was on the ground. "I ain't lettin' Chris drive when he's worryin' over Buck!" he said firmly. "You coming?"

That sounded enough like 'come' for Peso. He didn't need any more encouragement to leap over the arena wall, landing with a grunt near Vin.

"Of course I am," Charlie said as she started climb over the wall much more carefully than Vin did, exasperated. Vin might be crazy but she wasn't going to risk landing wrong and maybe twisting an ankle or worse, not with the two barrel prospects at home she was trying to get ready for next season. They were both Quarter Horses fresh off the track where they hadn't been quite fast enough to win anything, both bought at auction with the help of a friend in Ruidoso, and neither of them even knew the pattern yet. Taking a couple weeks off to spend time with her three favorite guys was one thing, but getting herself hurt and maybe being laid up for a month or more was a whole different ballgame.

Vin was sure Charlie would catch up and trotted away across the arena, Peso sticking so close to his side the dog might as well have been on a leash. The dog actually was _wearing_ a leash for a change, but Vin had looped it around his neck a few hours ago and tied it so he didn't have to hold it all the time. When Frankie saw it on Peso he had laughed, and Chris didn't see the need for it, but Vin thought it was a good idea after Kline had tried going to arena security to claim Peso attacked him Saturday evening while Charlie was helping a friend with her barrel horse. Kline had looked the part with the arm of his shirt ripped and bloodied from being stepped on by his steer, and the security guy, who was an off-duty cop, had actually gone to Vin and threatened to call animal control.

Vin and Peso hadn't been anywhere near Kline during that go-round until then, Peso had been by Vin's feet at the edge of the arena in plain sight of a couple hundred people, so Vin had told security guy to talk to some of the people around where Vin was sitting while Kline stood nearby fuming. A dozen people had told the security guy pretty much identical stories, talking about how half the people who went by had stopped to pet Peso and complimenting his behavior, and then the security guy had made _Kline_ leave the stands and gave Vin his card to call him if Kline bothered him again. Vin hadn't seen Kline since then other than when Kline was in the arena competing, but he was sure he would eventually. Kline was determined to cause trouble for him, and Vin knew he'd find a way sooner or later.

Vin normally wouldn't have been afraid of Kline, but with his ribs as tender as they were - and they were tender, he'd been having a little too much fun with Chris the last two nights - he was afraid Kline would land a punch in the wrong spot and he'd be in the hospital again. If that happened Chris wasn't going to let him leave the ranch until they were healed, he was sure, so he was being careful. He had made sure to 'happen' by Frankie that morning while Frankie was talking to the security guys so they all saw that Frankie knew Peso and liked him, and he had made sure all day to stay either with Chris or where there would be plenty of witnesses if Kline bothered him.

Buck was already on a back board and being carried towards the narrow side gate that led to the locker rooms under the bleachers, a dozen cowboys crowding close around to help and to watch. Most of them had gotten through by the time Vin and Peso reached the gate, but Josiah was there waiting and he reached out a hand to rest it lightly on Vin's shoulder as he moved to walk with him towards the two locker rooms and the medic's room in between them.

"Tandy says he has a mild concussion," Josiah said calmly, "and I expect his face will be black and blue since he hit face first, but nothing seems broken except his nose."

"Oh, thank God," Charlie said behind Vin, relieved. "Him hitting that gate was so _loud_ , I was afraid he'd be hurt bad."

"Amen, little sister," Josiah agreed, smiling at Charlie over his shoulder. "I think the noise was mostly the gate slamming into the next chute, though, not Buck hitting the gate. He's a bit bloodied up and he's gonna have one hell of a shiner tomorrow, but otherwise he looks alright."

"Yes you _are_ going to the hospital, Bucklin!" Chris's familiar voice exclaimed ahead of them then, beyond the people grouped in the hallway around the door to the medic's room. "Doc Tandy says you oughta go get checked out, and dammit, you're going!"

"No I ain't, I'm fine!" Buck argued immediately, sounding annoyed. "I'm gonna clean up an' go accept my prizes, and so are you!"

Vin and Josiah had stopped when they got to the back of the group, listening to Chris and Buck without trying to push past the other cowboys in the hall, but Charlie wasn't about to stop until she saw Buck for herself. "Make a hole, boys," she said firmly, slipping between Josiah and Vin and then poking at the guy in front of them. "Let me by!"

The men ahead of her moved quickly out of Charlie's way, some of them muttering apologies, but she ignored them as she pushed past and Vin was quick to take advantage of the chance to follow her into the medic's room. Peso slipped past them both, going into the room and then straight to Chris, who was scowling at Buck as he said, "You gotta at least go get that busted nose fixed, Bucklin."

"It can wait until after the presentations and we pick up our checks," Buck said firmly.  Tandy had already cleaned up his face and given Buck a shot of local anesthetic, but it still looked like he'd been brawling. His nose was crooked, he had a cut along the left eyebrow that Tandy had closed with butterfly bandages until Buck could get to the ER, and his left cheek, eye, and forehead all were starting to darken with bruises. "It's been broke before, an hour or two ain't gonna make a difference there and you know it."

Chris saw Charlie then and waved her towards Buck, exasperated. "Would you talk some sense into him, Char?"

"That'd take me more than an hour, Chris," Charlie replied instantly, making most of the people in the room laugh, including Chris. She looked at Tandy, who was standing next to Buck, and asked, "Does he need to go, Doc?"

"Yes, he does," Tandy said immediately, taking off his black nitrile gloves to toss them into the trash. He looked measuringly at Buck for a moment before he added, "But waiting an hour or two shouldn't hurt anything as long as someone keeps an eye on him. He _seems_ okay, but head injuries can be tricky sometimes. After that hit to the head rattled his brain around, there could be more swelling over the next few hours."

"I'll watch him," Charlie said firmly, looking back at Buck as she added, "and when _I_ tell you to go, you're _going_ , Bucklin Wilmington, you hear me?"

Buck scowled. "You ain't the boss of me!"

"I am today!" Charlie punched Buck's shoulder, making Buck yelp and shy away as she said, "Don't make me kick your ass in front of all your buddies, Bucklin! You _know_ I will!"

Several of the men crowded in the doorway snickered and Vin had to fight not to laugh himself, ducking to keep Buck from seeing his grin. Charlie would do it, too. She had before. Buck would never hit a lady no matter what she did to him, and Charlie wasn't afraid to take advantage of it if she thought he was being bullheaded.

"Dammit, woman, don't you go beatin' on me now!" Buck exclaimed as he rubbed gingerly at his shoulder, which had already hurt from hitting the fence even before Charlie punched him.  "I hurt enough already!"

"Then don't make me want to hit you!" Charlie responded tartly. She looked over at Chris, changing the subject as she asked, "Does he have a clean shirt in his duffle, Chris?"

Charlie moved closer to Buck and started unbuttoning his bloody shirt like she had a right to, and Buck didn't protest. He knew better. He'd been left to her 'tender mercies' more than once when he got himself hurt, and he was very familiar with how she dealt with it. If he fought with her about taking off the shirt for her to see for herself he was okay, she'd just hit him again and do it anyway.

"Yeah, he does, a couple of them," Chris replied, trying to hide his amusement at how meek Buck was for Charlie despite his scowl and bluster. "We were home this week." Buck adored her, he always had, but he was determined that he just wasn't the marrying kind and Charlie refused to share her man so they both insisted they were just friends. She and Buck still fell into bed together sometimes for sex, but Charlie usually kicked him out and made him go sleep in his own bed afterwards.

Josiah spoke up from the doorway. "I'll go get his bag."

"Thanks, Josiah," Chris said, glancing towards the door then back at Buck, who was practically pouting.

"Alright everyone, clear out," Tandy said firmly, waving people towards the door. "They'll be waiting on us to get the interviews and the prize presentations done." Most of the people in the room and the hall outside quickly started to make themselves scarce, and Tandy looked at Chris and then at Charlie as he said, "Don't forget to keep an eye on him. A concussion is nothing to fool around with. Any dizziness or a worsening headache, you get him to the ER."

"I'll watch him every minute, Doc," Charlie agreed instantly. "I'll even follow him into the john if I have to."

Tandy blinked and then laughed and headed for the door. "I'll leave him in your capable hands then, Miss Richmond." He patted Chris' shoulder on the way past him, adding, "See you around, Larabee. Not too soon though, I hope."

Chris chuckled and said, "I'll try to stay healthy, Tandy."

Charlie unfastened Buck's belt while Buck blushed, embarrassed that even with Chris and Vin both right there he still couldn't help reacting to her touch. "Oh, stop blushing," Charlie said with a soft huff, "they seen you filling out your jeans a little extra before, I'm sure, randy as you always are."

Buck blushed even more, looking mortified. "Charlie!"

"Buck!" Charlie parrotted right back, popping the button on Buck's jeans. "Just shut up and let me work, or I'll do the zipper too."

"Lord," Buck muttered, beet red and looking pointedly at the wall.

"I'm glad you joined us for the weekend, Charlie," Chris said, trying not to grin.

"I'm glad too," Charlie said firmly, tugging Buck's shirt up out of his jeans. "I've had fun and my neighbor Lonnie doesn't mind checking on the place for me every day, making sure the gates are shut and feeding Queen." Queen was her dog, a Rottweiler who acted more like a stock dog because she had been raised with them. "Everything's out on pasture except her, and I left her door open so she's fine as long as somebody feeds her once in a while." She moved around behind Buck to slide his shirt down his arms. "She'll keep anyone from breaking into the house while I'm gone, and Ricochet won't let anyone he doesn't know into the pasture so the horses and cattle will be fine too." Ricochet was a Brahma/Longhorn cross bull she had bought from a sale as a calf for ten bucks because he was so skinny nobody wanted him even for meat. He loved Charlie and was a big pet for her but he'd never met anyone else he liked, and his attitude bred true. His calves were all obnoxious, even out of quiet, gentle cows, and Charlie had been making good money using him to breed bulls for the rodeo circuit for the last several years. "I figured you guys can drop me off at home on your way to that rodeo in Omaha in two weeks. It'll be out of your way but not by far if you're staying with Jimmy."

"We sure can," Chris agreed, surprised and pleased. "We'll be glad to have you along. Won't we Buck?"

"Just plumb thrilled," Buck agreed dryly.

Vin snickered, earning himself a glare from Buck.

Josiah walked in with Buck's hat and his bag, looking amused as he moved to put both of them next to Buck on the exam table. "Here you go."

"Thanks, Josiah," Charlie said, giving Josiah a quick smile as she moved back in front of Buck with the bloody shirt in one hand. She dropped the shirt by Buck's hat and then opened his bag to dig into the clothes inside, looking for a shirt Buck could wear on camera. The day's event was being broadcast on cable and she was sure they'd want to interview Buck to reassure folks watching that he really was okay.

"Anytime," Josiah replied, smiling and giving her a tip of his hat, then heading for the hall. "Frankie says the television folks are fussing for him to hurry up and get the awards started, but he's stalling as best he can. Right now he's got that pretty blonde lady busy interviewing Calhoun, and Tandy's next."

"We'll be along as soon as Buck's dressed," Chris said quickly.

"Two minutes," Charlie added, pulling a rolled-up dark blue dress shirt out of Buck's bag and then looking at Buck as she offered it to him. "Put this one on, and hurry up."

Buck made a face and took the shirt, starting to pull it on as he grumbled, "So damn bossy."

Charlie poked Buck in the chest and said firmly, "Don't you give me any of your shit, Bucklin, or next time you come knockin' at o'dark-thirty wanting me to save you from thin walls I'm gonna tell you to go to hell."

Chris laughed and looked away, blushing as he realized Buck had overheard some of what went on the night before and praying Buck bolted before he heard much. Chris had been on the receiving end of things the second time around, and Vin had teased him unmercifully with his fingers until Chris was practically begging Vin to fuck him. 

Buck looked down to start buttoning his shirt, blushing very red as he said, "You said you weren't gonna tell no one."

"Tough titty," Charlie said with a snort, reaching to help Buck button the shirt. "Let me get that, you're gonna take forever at that speed. I swear, you're worse than any kid, Buck."

Buck scowled and let his hands drop so she could finish. She just _had_ to grab his one dress shirt with tiny little buttons instead of snaps. "Why are you ridin' me so hard? What'd I do to you?"

Charlie buttoned Buck's shirt all the way before she met Buck's gaze, trying hard to stay annoyed. "You scared the _shit_ out of me, you asshole."

Buck's scowl melted away into a pained expression as she finally let him really see the look in her eyes. She was obviously still scared and upset, and he reached for her as he murmured, "Aw, come here."

Charlie let Buck pull her into a hug as she lost the fight to stay mad and hid her face against his chest. She slid her arms around him to hold on tight for a moment, closing her eyes tightly and fighting to keep back the tears that suddenly wanted to come. She _had_ been scared, more so than she could remember being in years, and she still was a little bit. She wouldn't really believe he was fine until he'd been to the hospital and they declared him healthy.

Buck held her close, rubbing her back slowly as he murmured, "I'm fine, darlin'." He snorted softly, smiling. "You've beat me worse."

"You always deserved it," Charlie muttered, pulling away and rubbing roughly at her face. She hated to cry, but hated it worse if anyone else saw her do it.

"To hear you tell it I was born deserving a good whooping," Buck agreed, smiling a little wider. He lifted his hands to either side of her face, tipping her chin up and then holding her still as he carefully wiped away her tears with his thumbs and added gently, "Stop worryin' over me. It's nothin' but a headache and some bruises."

"I'm watchin' you like a hawk tonight," Charlie said, quiet but firm. "I'm sure you had your eye on some buckle bunny already, likely one that can't even drink legal yet, but you're just gonna have to make do with me."

Buck grinned. "I _do_ have my eye on a pretty little can chaser I was hopin' to follow home tonight, now you mention it." He leaned to kiss her thoroughly, then added, "Hell of a kisser, too. Name's Charlotte." He let go as he looked past her at Chris. "How about we go make nice for the cameras, then find us a steakhouse? I'm starving."

Charlie blushed as she moved back out of the way, smiling slightly. She was sure Buck had intended to end up with some other girl that night, but she still liked hearing him say she was pretty.

"Cameras, _hospital_ , then steakhouse," Chris corrected, smirking slightly. He still sort of thought Buck and Charlie might end up together someday, no matter how much they both denied it. He was very sure Charlie loved Buck more than she wanted to, and Buck had always had a soft spot for her. Buck just had to get it through his thick skull that settling down with one woman wouldn't be the end of the world.

Buck rolled his eyes, sliding off the exam table to stand and unzip his jeans so he could start quickly tucking in his shirt. "Chris, I'm _fine_. You're the one always fussin' about how hard my head is. It don't even hurt all that bad."

"Maybe not now, but it's going to," Vin said, amused. "Your face looks like Charlie took a fryin' pan to it."

Chris snickered and nodded, adding, "When that local Tandy put in there wears off, you're gonna be hurtin' bad, pard."

"Not if I get enough to drink before then," Buck said cheerfully, smirking as he buckled his belt. He picked up his hat and started towards the door as he set it on his head, adding, "Let's get this show on the road."

Chris snorted but moved to follow Buck as he said, "Just don't look in a mirror first, Buck."

"Not plannin' on it, pard," Buck agreed, walking out into the hall.

Chris was right at the door when Peso jumped up to follow him, and Chris held out a hand towards him as he said, "No, Peso. Stay with Vin." Peso sat down obediently and Chris smiled. "Good boy." He looked at Vin then. "I'm gonna grab my bag. Meet you by the horses?"

"We'll be there," Vin said immediately.

Chris gave him a quick grin and a wink, and then he was gone after Buck.

Vin chuckled and moved to the exam table to pick up Buck's bloody shirt, holding it up and looking at it to see what the damage was.

"It looks okay if we can get that blood out," Charlie said, frowning at the shirt. There was quite a bit of blood down the front of it, making it obvious Buck's nose had been bleeding like a fountain before Doc Tandy did his magic and got it stopped.

"Yeah, I think it'll be fine," Vin agreed, folding the shirt so the worst of the blood was in the middle and then rolling it up and tucking it into Buck's bag. "I'll get a bottle of Coke and soak it when we get to the hotel."

"Coke?" Charlie repeated, looking at Vin in surprise.

Vin smiled at her, nodding. "Takes blood right out if it hasn't set too long."

"Where in the world did you learn that?" Charlie asked, bemused.

Vin picked up Buck's bag to sling it over his left shoulder. "I used to get beat up a lot when I was a kid." He started towards the door and Charlie walked with him on the right as Peso moved to walk at his left side like he always did. Vin didn't even seem to notice Peso, looking at Charlie with a little grin as he added, "See, some cowboys don't like bein' hit on by other cowboys even a little bit, but it's kinda hard findin' out which ones _do_ unless you flirt a little."

Charlie laughed slightly even though she hated the reminder that Vin had been hurt a lot before he met Chris. Vin never talked about it, but Chris had told her a little about his scars and the nightmares that woke Vin sometimes. "Is that how you ended up with Chris?"

Vin laughed. "Nope, that was all because of a horse."

"I've been waitin' to hear this one," Charlie said, grinning as she hooked her arm through Vin's. "Keep talkin' while you're walkin'."

Vin laughed and then began, "Well, see, I was in west Texas early last October, and there was this guy all in black--"

"He was wearing black in _west Texas_?" Charlie interrupted with a slight giggle.

"I found out later it was the only thing he had clean," Vin explained, grinning. "By the end of that day, I kinda thought it was a statement. Buck was decked out in a white straw hat, jeans, and a shirt so red fire trucks would envy it that day, flirtin' with every female he saw, and then there was Chris next to him in black from head to toe, ignorin' the ladies even when they practically threw themselves at him." He grinned wider at Charlie. "Which is why I got Jimmy to invite Chris and Buck to join me an' Jimmy for dinner, but that was later. You're makin' me get ahead of myself."

"By all means, back to the beginning of the story," Charlie said, grinning widely. "This guy all in black..."

"He drew a bronc that quit on him," Vin picked up, "so they gave him a reride, and the horse they gave him was bein' a real handful in the chute. Tell Jansen yelled for someone to go get me, since I was the only one willin' to go head-to-head with Victorio..."

 

~ End


End file.
